Heber Springs 3rd-Graders fall to Midland

September 14, 2019

Panther Cub D.J. Nolan reacts as he gets a little help talking off his shoulder pads following Heber Springs’ contest with Midland’s third- and fourth-grade team on Saturday at Panther Stadium. Heber Springs fell to Midland, 6-0. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

PANTHER GAMEDAY

Heber Springs heads to Greenbrier to tangle with Panthers
  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Greenbrier
  • Admission: $5
  • Radio: Billy Morgan with handle the play-by-play with Lance Hamilton providing color on KSUG 101.9 The Lake. Panther Pregame begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the game.  You can listen live here.

LAST SEASON

Greenbrier takes advantage of Heber Springs miscues.

LAST WEEK

Heber Springs fell to Clinton, 28-27, while Greenbrier was idle.

GREENBRIER AGAINST BEEBE

Greenbrier opened its season in the week 0 at Beebe. The Badgers led at the half 14-10 while the Panthers led 16-14 at the end of three quarters. Greenbrier exploded for 17 fourth-quarter points to blow open the game. The Panthers did most of their damage on the ground with senior Peyton Long rushing 16 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jackson Riddle was 11 of 24 passing for 165 yards with a touchdown and interception. Defensively senior Ryan Bernard paced Greenbrier with 10 tackles and an interception.

COACH COX ON LAST WEEK, PRACTICE THIS WEEK AND GREENBRIER

CONFERENCE/OPPONENT RESULTS

  • WEEK 0
  • Greenbrier 33, Beebe 14
  • Riverview 48, Brookland 32
  • Central Arkansas Christian 48, Mayflower 0
  • Pocahontas 42, Southside Batesville 18
  • DeWitt 36, Stuttgart 33
  • Harding Academy 55, Bald Knob 20
  • Carlisle 38, Lonoke 13
  • WEEK 1
  • Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27
  • Valley View 28, Bald Knob 8
  • Southside Batesville 40, Cave City 8
  • DeWitt 46, Riverview 35
  • Little Rock Mills 35, Jacksonville 8
  • Harding Academy 47, Highland 20

THIS WEEK

Heber Springs at Greenbrier

Little Rock Mills at Little Rock Hall

Lonoke at Beebe

Trumann at Southside Batesville

Riverview at Highland

Stuttgart at Warren

Central Arkansas Christian at Baptist Prep

Clinton at Conway Christian

Idle: Bald Knob, Harding Academy

GREENBRIER GRADUATE

New Heber Springs assistant senior high, and head junior high, football coach Chase Roberts is a graduate of Greenbrier High School and played under current Greenbrier coach Randy Tribble.

Heber Springs vs. Greenbrier
The Series

Greenbrier leads 24-14
LAST MEETING: 2018 at Heber Springs, Greenbrier won, 41-16
Last Week: Heber Springs lost at Clinton, 28-27; Greenbrier was idle but won at Beebe, 33-14 in week 0.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Friday night’s match-up in Greenbrier will be the 39th in the series between Heber Springs and Greenbrier. The two teams first met in 1969 during Greenbrier’s first season of football. The Panthers won that contest 6-0. Greenbrier won the next meeting by the same score in 1970 before the Panthers reeled off five straight in the series winning those five contests by a combined 106-14. The teams would meet continuously from 1969 until 1991. The series resumed from 1993 until 2002. The teams split a two-game series in 2008-2009 with the Panthers claiming a 33-7 victory at Greenbrier in 2009, their last victory in the series. The teams have met for the past five seasons with Greenbrier winning all five those contests by a combined 225-120 (45 ppg vs. 24 ppg).
STREAKS: Heber Springs won five straight in the series from 1971-1975 while Greenbrier won five straight twice from 1987-1993 and from 2014-2018.
OVERTIME: The teams have played only one overtime contest, that coming in 1994, a 22-21 Heber Springs victory.
LAST ONE FOR A WHILE: This will be the final meeting between the two schools for the foreseeable future. Greenbrier has an average daily membership (ADM) for grades 10 through 12 of 825.67 students for the 2020-2022, up from 809 in the 2018-2020 cycle. Greenbrier is the 36th largest school in the state and fourth largest in 5A. Heber Springs has ADM of 383.33 for the upcoming cycle ranking it 22nd in class 4A and 85th overall, that is down from the 406.67 for the current cycle. With those numbers in mind, Greenbrier has been replaced on the nonconference schedule for the next two seasons with Dover in week 3. Heber Springs will open with Newport (replacing Clinton, who is moving back up to class 4A and into the 4A-2 conference), Harding Academy in week 2 and Dover in week 3.
CONFERENCE FOES: The two teams were members of the 12A in 1974-76, the 1AA-East from 1977-1982, the 5AA-North from 1983-1990, and the 4AA-East in 1993-94. Greenbrier moved into the 5A-West conference the following season.

GETTING YOU READY FOR GAMEDAY LINKS

Panthers fall in opener to Clinton

Former Panthers meet on college gridiron

JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL

Panthers fall in Searcy

SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL

Panthers improve to 2-0 with win in final minute

Heber Springs Seventh-Grade Quarterback Liam Buffalo. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK

  • Monday, September 16 – Golf at Searcy Country Club, 3:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 17 – Golf at Greystone in Cabot, 3:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 17 – Tennis vs. Morrilton, 3:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 17 – Volleyball vs. Joe T. Robinson, 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 19 – Golf at Red Apple Inn, 1 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 19 – Tennis (Boys) at Subiaco Academy, 3:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 19 – Volleyball at Dover, 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 19 – Junior, 7th-football idle
  • Friday, September 20 – Senior Football vs. Harding Academy, 7 p.m.

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Junior Panthers fall to Harding Academy

Heber Springs’ Conner Riddle. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

September 12, 2019

By PHILIP SEATON

SEARCY – Harding Academy quarterback Kade Smith rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats downed Heber Springs, 40-0, in junior high action Thursday night.

Heber Springs (0-2) held Smith in check early though he did manage a 44-yard touchdown run and successful 2-point rush with 4:50 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats first score came off a Panther turnover. Heber Springs took the opening kickoff and moved inside Harding Academy territory thanks in part to a 15-yard run by Xander Lindley, but an interception stalled the drive.

The Panthers picked up a first-down on their next possession when Conner Riddle connected with Kenan Sneed for an 18-yard pass completion, but the drive stalled and Heber Springs was forced to punt.

The Panthers got the ball back two plays later when Hunter Edwards stepped in front of a Smith pass and returned it 14 yards — late in the contest Edwards would be carted off the field with an apparent arm injury.

Heber Springs then proceed to move the ball deep into Wildcat territory. On third-and-1, Riddley again found Sneed, this time for 10 yards to put on the Harding Academy 27. A third-down run by Channer Smith moved it to the Wildcat 17 while Riddle followed on the next play with a 14-yard run to put on the 3. But from there the drive would stall and Heber Springs would turn the ball over on downs with 5:10 left in the first half.

From there, the Wildcats would go on a 13-play, 97-yard drive to go up 16-0 with 48 seconds left in the half as Smith kept for an 11-yard touchdown run and successful 2-point run.

The Wildcats wasted no time going up 24-0 in the second half using a three-play, 58-yard drive that Kyler Hoover capped off with a six-yard touchdown run.

Heber Springs’ best chance to score in the second half came after Riddle picked off Smith and returned it 36 yards to the Wildcat 33. After a first-down pass from Lindley to Dalton Yancey moved to the Wildcat 13, the drive would fizzle out three plays later when Lindley was intercepted.

Harding Academy would close out the third-quarter scoring on the next play when Smith raced 83 yards for the score on the quarter’s final play.

The Wildcats added another score with 1:30 left when Hoover ran in from 15 yards out.

Heber Springs will be idle on Thursday before return to play on September 26 when it travels to Lonoke.

Heber Springs junior high head coach Chase Roberts after Harding Academy

Panther 7th-Graders claim win in final seconds

Heber Springs quarterback Liam Buffalo looks for running room as coaches Drew Lawrence and Jay Bishop look on during seventh-grade football action in Searcy. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

September 12, 2019

By PHILIP SEATON

SEARCY – Heber Springs scored a touchdown in the final minute to pull out an 18-14 victory over Harding Academy Thursday night in Searcy.

The Panthers improved to 2-0 with the win and will be off next week before returning to action on September 27 at Lonoke.

On Thursday, it was last-minute heroics that got the win for the Panthers.

Heber Springs Ty West running up field against Harding Academy on Thursday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

After Harding went up 14-12 with 4:36 to play, Heber Springs marched the ball downfield mainly on the legs of quarterback Laim Buffalo, but the drive appeared to stall with the Panthers facing a fourth-and-5 from the Wildcat 17. Instead of going with the legs of Buffalo, it was his arm as he connected with Weston Warden who caught the short pass and did the rest racing 17 yards for the score with 53.7 seconds left. The two-point conversion failed.

The Panther defense held Harding Academy and Heber Springs came away with the win.

Heber Springs’ Axley Davis takes the hand-off from Panther quarterback Liam Buffalo Thursday night in Searcy. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Heber Springs struck first as Buffalo connected with Warden with a 77-yard touchdown pass to put the Panthers up 6-0 with 11:21 to play in the first half.

After Harding Academy tied things up at 6-all with 5:41, Heber Springs struck right before halftime as Buffalo found Bryce Seigrest on a 60-yard touchdown pass.

Turnovers plagued Heber Springs in the second half leading to Harding Academy to taking the lead. After a turnover and the ensuing drive reached inside the Panther 25, Heber Springs’ defense stiffened and stopped the Wildcats on fourth down. But another turnover gave Harding Academy the ball back which led to Wildcat score.

Greenbrier handles Heber Springs, 41-16

September 7, 2018

By PHILIP SEATON

HEBER SPRINGS – Greenbrier took advantage of Heber Springs’ miscues and turnovers to cruise to a 41-16 victory Friday night in nonconference action at Panther Stadium.

The Faulkner County Panthers scored 10 points off of Heber Springs’ turnovers, took advantage a poor punt for another score and watched on defense as Heber Springs’ penalties and miscues stalled several drives.
It was the fourth consecutive season for Heber Springs (0-2) to open with a loss at home and the fifth consecutive loss to Class 5A Greenbrier (2-0) in the series that dates back to 1969.

Heber Springs, which also started 0-2 last season but bounced back to win a share of the 2-4A conference title, will close out nonconference play Friday night when the Panthers tangle with Harding Academy in Searcy. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Greenbrier took the opening kickoff and marched 60 yards on 9 plays to take a 7-0 lead with 8:17 left in the first quarter. Seth Howard, who finished the night with 10 carries for 80 yards, capped off the drive with a four-yard run.

Senior Rocky Finney put the Panthers in good position on the ensuing kickoff with a 48-yard return that left the ball on the Greenbrier 38. On Heber Springs’ first play from scrimmage, senior Blaze Nelson picked up a 14 yards on the ground, but a pair of holding penalties would stall the drive with 6:09 left in the opening quarter.

Greenbrier would take over on its own 20 and was marching down field for another apparent score before the Panthers created a turnover. After Andrew Johnson connected with Bryce Morehart for a 22-yard pick-up, Nelson popped the ball free from Morehart at the Panther 14. Finney scooped it up and raced 31 yards to put the ball at midfield with 4:05 left in the first quarter.

From there, Nelson took over with runs of 21-, 17-, 7- and 6-yards to push the ball into the endzone with 2:28 to play in the first quarter. The PAT failed after a low snap prevented the kick from being attempted – the Panthers were playing without the services of senior center Bradey Adkins who was on the sidelines in street clothes. Nelson finished the first quarter with six carries for 64 yards, but would only pick-up 16 more yards the rest of the contest.

The Panther defense held Greenbrier on its next possession to force a punt, but the return was fumbled giving the Faulkner County Panthers possession on the Heber Springs’ 18 with 10.4 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Three plays later, Trey Havens plunged in from the 1 and after Cody Powell’s PAT kick, Greenbrier led 14-6 with 11:37 to play in the half.

Another good kick-off return, this time by Nelson for 27 yards, put the Panthers at midfield to start their next possession. Junior Adam Martin connected with Tri Johnson for an 8-yard, first-down completion to push the ball to the Greenbrier 40 and then followed that up with a 17-yard strike to Finney to move it to the 23. The drive stalled after Nelson was unable to get untracked on three consecutive carries bringing on junior Julian Cameron, who connected on the 35-yard field-goal attempt to pull the Panthers to within five at 14-9 with 8:17 left in the second quarter.

Greenbrier wasted little time in responded moving 70 yards in five plays as Howard broke free for a 32-yard score to make it 21-9 Greenbrier at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter.

A three-and-out by Heber Springs’ on its next possession would later lead to more points for Greenbrier.  The Faulkner County Panthers marched to the Heber Springs 5 before the Panthers’ defense held leaving Greenbrier to settle for a 20-yard Cody Powell field goal to make 24-9 with 2:57 to play before the half.

Greenbrier left no doubt in the second half taking a 34-9 lead with 8:12 to play in the third quarter. Andrew Johnson connected with Brody Johnson on a 24-yard touchdown strike on Greenbrier’s first play from scrimmage in the second half after a zero-yardage punt gave the Faulkner County Panthers excellent field position at the 10:07 mark.

Greenbrier took advantage of a Panther turnover to add a 29-yard Powell field goal with 8:12 left in the third.

Heber Springs moved the ball down the field to the Greenbrier 2 behind the running of Dalton Hall and the pass-catch duo of Martin and Finney, but the Panthers couldn’t punch it turning the ball over on downs with 2:56 to play in the third quarter.

The Panther defense forced a three-and-out on Greenbrier’s next drive and Heber Springs took over at the Greenbrier 30. However, the drive fizzled at the 15 and the 32-yard field-goal attempt by Cameron was no good with 10:41 to play.

Greenbrier followed with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that Ty Embry capped off with a 4-yard run to put the Panthers up, 41-9.

Heber Springs would tack on the last score of the contest with an 11-play, 71-yard drive that culminated with a Martin connecting with Nathan McKee with a 22-yard touchdown pass. Cameron’s PAT set the final score at 41-16 with 33.9 seconds left.

Martin finished the night 16-of-27 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown, while Nelson rushed for 80 yards on 13 carries and finished with 14 total tackles, including 12 unassisted.

BY THE NUMBERS
TEAM

First Downs:  Heber Springs 17, Greenbrier 21
Rushing:  Heber Springs 34-167, Greenbrier 30-169
Passing:  Heber Springs 16-of-27 for 142 yards, Greenbrier 19 of 34 for 335 yards
Total Offense: Heber Springs 306, Greenbrier 494
Penalties: Heber Springs 5-45, Greenbrier 7-60
Turnovers: Heber Springs 3, Greenbrier 1
INDIVIDUAL: Rushing, Blaze Nelson 13-80, Dalton Hall 8-49, Nicholas Hitchcock 7-31, Adam Martin 5-5, Julio Rubio 1-2. Greenbrier, Trey Havens 11-43, Seth Howard 10-78, Ty Embry 5-29, Andrew Johnson 2-17, Logan King 1-6, Team 1-(-4).
Passing: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 16-27-2 142. Greenbrier, Andrew Johnson  19-34-0 335
Receiving: Heber Springs, Rocky Finney 6-63, Blaze Nelson 5-18, Nathan McKee 2-33, Seth Dickeson 2-20, Tri Johnson 1-8. Greenbrier, Brody Johnson 5-105, Jason Kuykendall 4-99, Bryce Morehart 3-35, Talon Moore 2-62, Ryan Barnard 2-20, Seth Howard 2-9, Trey Havens 1-5.
All-Purpose Yards: Heber Springs, Rocky Finney 190, Blaze Nelson 140, Dalton Hall 49, Nathan McKee 41, Tri Johnson 32, Nicholas Hitchcock 31, Seth Dickeson 20, Adam Martin 5, Julio Rubio 2. Greenbrier, Brody Johnson 127, Jason Kuykendall 99, Seth Howard 87, Talon Moore 62, Trey Havens 48, Bryce Morehart 35, Ty Embry 29, Logan King 24, Ryan Barnard 20, Andrew Johnson 17.

Bremmon named Conference Player of the Week

September 9, 2019

CONWAY – After incredible performance Saturday in the Warriors’ season opener versus Lyon College, sophomore defensive back Jacob Bremmon has been honored as the Southern Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week, announced by the conference office Monday afternoon.

Bremmon, a graduate of Heber Springs High School, picked off the Scots’ quarterback Isaiah Bradford in the second period Saturday and returned it 39 yards to the house. In addition to the defensive touchdown, Bremmon registered a second-best eight tackles in Hendrix’s 28-20 victory over the in-state rival Scots.

Jacob Bremmon

Bremmon played in 10 games last season as a true freshman, starting nine of them at safety. He recorded 26 solo tackles and 12 assisted tackles for a total of 38 tackles. He also had two interceptions and a forced fumble.

Bremmon wasn’t the only former Panther on the field on Saturday. Former Heber Springs Panther Blaze Nelson, who is playing linebacker for the Scots (1-1), played but did not record any stats during the contest.

Blaze Nelson

Sitting at 1-0 on the year, Bremmon and the rest of the Warriors will head west to Seguin, Texas, to battle Texas Lutheran at 6 p.m. Saturday. Nelson and the rest of the Lyon College Scots have the weekend off before traveling to Tyler, Texas, on September 21 for an 11 a.m. contest with Texas College.

Information provided by Hendrix College Sports Information and Lyon College Sports Information

Panther Postgame

Heber Springs comes up short against Clinton, 28-27

Heber Springs quarterback Adam Martin looks to evade the tackle of Clinton’s Ryan Jones Friday Night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HEBER SPRINGS – It was a tale of penalties in the final eight minutes that helped decide the “Battle of the Little Red” Friday night at Panther Stadium as Clinton claimed a 28-27 victory.

Tied at 21-all, Clinton go the benefit of a pass interference call on a second-and-long play that helped move the ball from the Clinton 29 to the Clinton 44. Eight plays later on fourth-and-4, Yellowjacket quarterback Weston Amos connected with Austin Drake for a 17-yard touchdown with 4:25 to play to put Clinton up 27-21. On the extra-point attempt, a high snap forced Amos was forced to scramble. He connected with the pass attempt that was stopped short of the goal line, but a roughing the passer penalty was called giving Clinton another shot. This time senior Matt Gonzalez was able to get the kick off and give the Yellowjackets the lead at 28-21 .

After a 13-yard kickoff return by junior Matthew Cook, a holding call and false-start penalty pushed Heber Springs back to it’s own 15-yard line. From there, seniors Adam Martin and Julio Rubio put the Panthers on their backs and marched downfield. A 13-yard run by Martin and a 12- and 5-yard run by Rubio gave Heber Springs a first-down. After a four-yard run by Martin, the senior signal-caller connected with all-conference performer Tri Johnson for another first down moving the ball to the Yellowjacket 45. Two plays later Rubio took the ball and ran straight up the middle for a 39-yard touchdown run with 1:20 to play.

Senior Jackson Harrod was sent out to attempt the extra point, but Clinton was whistled for being offsides moving the ball half the distance to the goal line. Instead of attempting to tie the game and potentially send the “Battle of the Little Red River” into overtime for the first time since 1989, Heber Springs coach Will Cox decided to go for the lead and potentially the win with the two-point conversion. A high snap slowed Martin’s momentum and he was stopped just short of the end zone with his helmet touching the goal-line, but the ball just short.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Clinton’s Tye Pruitt and the Yellowjackets ran out the clock for the win.

“We were going to kick the extra (point), then we got the penalty,” Cox said.
“Really our offense had been moving well, and I felt good where we were at. I thought they were playing on the heals a bit and got aggressive, tried to win it right there. It’s tough, that’s a tough one. I think in the same situation, I would probably do that again. I feel very confident in our offense and being able to do that.”

Martin paced Heber Springs on the ground by rushing 25 times for 161 yards, while Rubio carried the ball 12 times for 94 yard and three touchdowns.

Heber Springs will travel to 5A Greenbrier on Friday night.

Heber Springs kicker Jackson Harrod signals good on a first-quarter, extra-point attempt. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME NOTES

SERIES: Since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red” trophy, Clinton has won all four meetings between the two schools and now leads the all-time series, 40-38-5.

SOMETHING WITH 28: In three of the four wins by Clinton since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red”, the Yellowjackets have scored 28 points, the only exception was 36-34 win in 2018 in Clinton.

CLOSE GAMES: 24 games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less, including Friday night’s contest.

Former Heber Springs “chain-gang” member Tom Bly performs the ceremonial coin toss before Friday’s game. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HONORARY CAPTAINS: Former Clinton, and Harding University, quarterback Park Parish was the honorary captain for the Yellowjackets while members of the “chain gang” from the 1970s, 80s and 90s were honorary captains for Heber Springs. Ron Gillispie, Tom Bly, Rodney Bise, Denver Gillispie, Ben Rorie, Tommy Park, Win Hargus and Travis Howard.

COIN TOSS: Tom Bly did the coin flip which was won by Heber Springs.

FIGHT LIKE A KID: Cara Morehead of Fight Like at Kid/Make A Wish was on hand to receive a pregame donation from members of Heber Springs and Clinton school administrations. The two communities raised $9,708 dollars to help grant a wish for a Greers Ferry Lake area child.

STUFF THE BUS: Heber Springs and Clinton were involved in a friendly competition that involved being awarded points for donating food for each school’s food banks as well as a diapers/baby wipes that were donated to “The Call” in each community. Heber Springs finished with 19,851 points while Clinton finished with 4,902. As a result, Heber Springs won the “Community Impact Award” banner for 2019.

INVOCATION: Caleb Parish, a member of the Heber Springs Fellowship of Christian Athletes, presented the pregame invocation.

ONSIDE KICK: For the second year in a row, Heber Springs won the opening toss, but Clinton elected to attempt an onside kick, as they did in 2018. They recovered the ball both times.

STATE RECORD AND COUNTING: As a team, Heber Springs has connected on 105 extra-point kicks which is a team state record. Julian Cameron connected on 100 straight before graduating last season. Graduated senior Seth Dickson also connected on two extra point kicks in 2018. Friday night, Jackson Harrod was three-for-three to continue the streak.

FOX 16’s FEARLESS FRIDAY: For the second year in a row, Wess Moore’s Fox 16 Fearless Friday show had a crew at the “Battle of the Little Red”. Last season, Jay Bir was on the sidelines. This year, Stephanie Sharp covered the game for the Little Rock television station.

DRIVE SUMMARIES

First Quarter

Clinton: 3 plays, minus 9 yards, 2:20. Start: Clinton 47. Result: Punt. Key Plays: Clinton recovered an onside kick to start the contest. On third down, a high snap resulted in an 18-yard loss.

Heber Springs: 12 plays, 68 yards, 4:55. Start: Heber Springs 32. Result: Landon Johnson 3-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod extra-point kick. Key Plays: A 21-yard run on a quarterback draw by Adam Martin on the second play of the drive to move the ball to the Clinton 39. A 7-yard run by Landon Johnson on fourth-and-three from the Clinton 32, and a Johnson 13-yard run to move the ball to the Clinton 3. Score: Heber Springs 7, Clinton 0. Coach Cox: “We really thought with how they were defensively that we could spread them out with our skill, and that would open some running lanes with Adam. Kinda pick your poison, if they fill the box then we could throw it out; and if they spread it out to cover our pass, then Adam could make some plays with his feet. He really showed that.”

Heber Springs’ Landon Johnson looks upfield after taking the ball from Adam Martin (2). Fate Berry (3) is blocking on the play. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Clinton: 7 plays, 72 yards, 2:15. Start: Clinton 28. Result: 17-yard touchdown run by Jordan Hinchey. Matt Gonzalez kick. Key Plays: On fourth-and-19 at the Clinton 19, Weston Amos ran for an eight-yard gain, but a 15-yard face mask penalty moved the ball to the Clinton 42. On the next play, another unsportsmanlike penalty on Heber Springs moved the ball to the Heber Springs 25. Score: Heber Springs 7, Clinton 7.

Heber Springs: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:57. Start: Heber Springs 21 Result: Clinton interception. Key Plays: On third down from the Heber Springs 41, Rubio carried the ball to the Heber Springs 46. After a first-down pass from Martin to Nathan McKee went for 22 yards, a ball went out of the hands of Tri Johnson into the awaiting arms of Clinton’s Kadence Sowell. Coach Cox: ” I have some much trust in Tri. I know he can make big plays and I’ve seen him do it before. What he’s done so far is just so impressive in what kind of athlete he is, and what kind of player he is. I have complete confidence in what he can do.”

Second Quarter

Clinton: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:14. Start: Clinton 42. Result: Turnover on downs. Key Play: On fourth-and-2 from the Heber Springs 49, Amos was stopped a yard short by Landon Johnson and Julio Rubio. Coach Cox: “Our guys flew around. We finished with (giving up) 28 and that’s more than what we want to give up defensively, but I really like the way were flying around. We had 11 guys chasing trying to make a play every time and that’s another thing we can take from this game.”

Heber Springs: 9 plays, 51 yards, 4:16. Start: Heber Springs 49. Result: Julio Rubio 13-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod PAT kick. Key plays: On fourth-and-1 at the Clinton 28, Martin picked up seven yards to extend the chains. After being sacked on first down, Martin gained 13 yards on third-and-16 from the Clinton 27 to make it a fourth-and-2 for Rubio’s touchdown run. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 7. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 7. Coach Cox: “I think that was a big question mark for everybody was, ‘how are we going to be able to run the ball graduating Blaze Nelson?’ This offensive line, these backs and Adam really showed that we are team that can still run the ball so that was exciting to see for sure.”

Heber Springs running back Julio Rubio is brought down by at Clinton defender. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Clinton: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:17. Start: Clinton 29. Result: Jordan Hinchey 2-yard touchdown run. Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: An 18-yard run by Nicholas Epley on the first play of the drive to move the ball to the Clinton 47, and an 18-yard run by Hinchey to push it to the Panther 16. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 14.

Heber Springs: 6 plays, 24 yards, 2:46. Start: Heber Springs 29. Result: End of half. Key Play: Martin rushed for six yards on a third-and-five to extend the drive, but a sack two plays later ended the half. Halftime score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 14.

Third Quarter

Clinton: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:18. Start: Clinton 25. Result: 10-yard touchdown run by Logan Moudy. Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: On third-and-2 from the Clinton 32, Weston Amos rushed for 23 yard to move the ball to the Panther 45. On third-and-12 from the Heber Springs 27, Amos connected with Austin Drake for a 15-yard, first-down completion. Score: Clinton 21, Heber Springs 14.

Clinton quarterback Weston Amos escapes the pressure of Heber Springs senior defensive lineman Kaden Hughes. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Heber Springs: 3 plays, 5 yards, 2:00. Start: Heber Springs 30. Result: Adam Martin punt. Key Play: A false-start penalty on first down stalled the drive.

Clinton: 8 plays, 12 yards, 4:42. Start: Clinton 23. Result: Punt. Key Play: A Tri Johnson sack on third down forced a Clinton punt.

Fourth Quarter

Heber Springs: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:43. Start: Heber Springs 40. Result: Julio Rubio 2-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod PAT kick. Key Plays: On third-and-3 from the Panther 47, Adam Martin rushed six yards for a first down. On first-and-10 from the Clinton 27, Martin ran 25 yards to put the ball on the Clinton 2. Score: Heber Springs 21, Clinton 21. Coach Cox: “They have a lot of character. It’s really good group. There are some really good senior leaders and they really laid it out there. Proud of the way they competed.”

Clinton: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:52. Start: Clinton 30. Result: Weston Amos to Austin Drake 17-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Matt Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: On second-and-11 from the Clinton 29, a defensive pass interference call put the ball on the Clinton 44. On the first play after the call, Ethen Drake picked up 19 yards to move the ball to the Panther 35. After a high snap on the extra-point attempt, Amos scrambled and completion was two yards short but a roughing the passer called allowed for the successful PAT kick. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 21. Coach Cox: “There were some tough calls. Didn’t see the late hit on the quarterback, I had my eyes down here (at the other end of the field). These refs were good to us all game as far as communicating. We just didn’t make the plays when we needed to make them.”

Heber Springs: 9 plays, 66 yards, 3:05. Start: Heber Springs 34. Result: Julio Rubio 39-yard touchdown run. Two-point run failed. Key Plays: A 13-yard run by Adam Martin on first-and-29 play from the Panther 15 followed by 12-yard run by Rubio. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27.

Clinton: 4 plays, 22 yards, 1:20. Start: Clinton 42. Result: End of game. Key Plays: Tye Pruitt recovered the onside kick and a 19-yard run by Jordan Hinchey to give Clinton a first down. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27. Coach Cox: “This is a good senior group. It hurts and I know it hurts them, but they have been through more adversity than this and responded well.”

PANTHER PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Senior Adam Martin rushed 25 times for 161 yards.
Senior Fate Berry finished with a team high 11 tackles.
Senior Julio Rubio rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

SCORING

Clinton        7  7  7  7 - 28
Heber Springs  7  7  0 13 - 27

FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Landon Johnson 3-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 4:45
Clinton - Jordan Hinchey 17-yard run (Matt Gonzalez kick), 2:30
SECOND QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 13-yard run (Harrod kick), 6:03
Clinton - Hincey 2-yard run (Gonzalez kick), 2:46 
THIRD QUARTER
Clinton - Logan Moudy 10-yard run (Gonzalez kick), 6:42
FOURTH QUARTER
Heber Springs - Rubio 2-yard run (Harrod kick), 9:17
Clinton - Weston Amos to Austin Drake 17-yard pass (Gonzalez kick), 4:25
Heber Springs - Rubio 39-yard run (run failed), 1:20 
 

Heber Springs coach Will Cox

It stings as a rivalry game. I tell you what it stings the hardest because I know how hard these kids worked. I wanted this win for them. I wanted the win for the community, but I wanted the win for these boys because they earned it. These kids fought. They fought the whole game. That’s a good Clinton team and our kids fought. I told them at the end of the game that’s something we can build on and that’s something that can help us make this a special run.

TEAM STATS

First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 17, Clinton 17
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 2, Clinton 2
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Clinton 2
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 19, Clinton 21
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 6/9, Clinton 4/8
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/3, Clinton 1/2
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 22:52, Clinton 24:08
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 1/1, Clinton 1/0
Turnovers: Heber Springs 2, Clinton 0
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 9/76, Clinton 7/46
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 54/344/6.4, Clinton 55/295/5.4
Rushing: Heber Springs 50/314/6.3, Clinton 43/244/5.7
Passing: Heber Springs 2/4-30-0/1, Clinton 5/12-51-1/0
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 1/14, Clinton 2/10
Punts: Heber Springs 1/42/42, Clinton 2/70/35

INDIVIDUAL STATS

OFFENSE
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 25/161/6.5; Julio Rubio 12/94/7.8; Landon Johnson 13/59/4.5. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 14/104/6.5; Ethen Drake 7/57/8.1; Nicholas Epley 5/41/8.2; Weston Amos 13/35/2.7; Logan Moudy 2/11/5.5; Team 2/(-4)/(-2).
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (2), Julio Rubio (1). Clinton, Weston Amos (1), Ethen Drake (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (6), Julio Rubio (3), Landon Johnson (1). Clinton, Jordan Hinchey (4), Weston Amos (2), Ethen Drake (2), Nicholas Epley (2), Logan Moudy (1).
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 2/4-30-0/1. Clinton, Weston Amos 5/12-51-1/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/24/24, Tri Johnson 1/6/6. Clinton, Austin Drake 2/32/16; Nicholas Epley 2/15/7.5; Ethen Drake 1/7/7.
RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee (1).
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 191, Julio Rubio 94, Landon Johnson 59. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 104, Weston Amos 86, Ethen Drake 57, Nicholas Epley 41, Logan Moudy 11, Team (-4).
PUNT RETURNS: None
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 1/13, Tri Johnson 1/7. Clinton, Austin Drake 2/33/16.5
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Clinton, Kadence Sowell 1/12.
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 161, Julio Rubio 94, Landon Johnson 59, Nathan McKee 24, Tri Johnson 13, Matthew Cook 13.  Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 104, Austin Drake 65, Ethen Drake 64, Nicholas Epley 56, Weston Amos 35, Kadence Sowell 12, Logan Moudy 11, Team (-4).
DEFENSE
TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 8/3/11, Nathan McKee 6/4/10, Landon Johnson 1/5/6; Tri Johnson 2/3/5; Levy Phillips 4/1/5; Lawrence Baureis 0/5/5; Kaden Hughes 2/2/4; Hunter Kent 1/3/4; Matthew Cook 2/1/3; Jackson West 1/1/2; Trent Barnes 0/1/1; Preston Jones 0/1/1. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 6/7/13; Ryan Jones 7/3/10; Kadence Sowell 2/4/7; Ethen Drake 3/1/4; Jayden Exzabe 2/2/4; Kenneth Ethridge 0/4/4; Austin Drake 2/1/3; Nicholas Epley 0/3/3; Blaine Emberton 2/1/3; Chase Blanton 2/1/3; Hunter Johnson 2/1/3; Logan Moudy 0/1/1; Matt Gonzalez 1/0/1; Cade Treadaway 0/1/1; David Henson 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Kaden Hughes 2, Landon Johnson 1, Tri Johnson 1, Fate Berry 1. Clinton, Ryan Jones 1, Jordan Hinchey 1, Jayden Exzabe 1.
SACKS: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 1/14. Clinton, Ryan Jones 1/7, Jayden Exzabe 1/3.
INTERCEPTIONS: Clinton, Kadence Sowell 1/12.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Clinton, Nicholas Epley 1/0.

GAME SCENES

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Panther GameDay

Battle of the Little Red: Heber Springs vs. Clinton

Heber Springs junior Matthew Cook fights for yardage as Vilonia’s Kyle Vines brings him to the ground during a scrimmage at Phillip D. Weaver Stadium in Vilonia on August 27. See story below. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium
  • Admission: $5
  • Radio: Billy Morgan with handle the play-by-play with Lance Hamilton providing color on KSUG 101.9 The Lake. Panther Pregame begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the game. Listen live link here.
  • Honorary Captains: For Heber Springs, members of the “chain gang” from the 1970s, 80s and 90s. For Clinton, former Clinton Yellowjacket and Harding University quarterback Park Parish.

PREGAME FESTIVITIES

Pregame tailgating starts at 4:30 p.m. with a free concert by Clinton’s Heath Sanders beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sanders, a former oilfield worker turned full-time musician, whose popularity skyrocketed after a performance on Arkansas native Bobby Bones’ radio show in early 2018.

LAST SEASON

A back-and-forth game went to Clinton, 36-34, as Julian Cameron’s game-winning field-goal attempt was no good. Lyon College signee Blaze Nelson rushed 33 times for 288 yards and four touchdowns for Heber Springs, while junior Weston Amos passed for 209 yards and four touchdowns including five of those to junior Austin Drake, who finished with 190 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Heber Springs Coach Will Cox …

GETTING TO KNOW COACH

When Darren Gowen resigned in May to pursue other coaching opportunities in northwest Arkansas (he has since been hired as offensive coordinator at Gravette), the search was put on hold and co-defensive coordinator Will Cox was named the interim coach for the upcoming season.

Will Cox

Cox grew up and graduated from Highland in 2007. After high school, he played football at Concordia College in Nebraska. He then entered the coaching field where he coached for two years at his alma mater before spending two years on the staff at Greenville College in Illinois. Cox joined the staff last season and was a co-defensive coordinator.

He is married to Taylor, and the have a son that will be two years old in December, Grayson.

Offensive- or defensive-minded?

I am more of defensive mind of guy. I played defense in high school and college. I’m just a defensive guy, so I enjoy that.

What will Panther fans see defensively?

You are going to see a big change. We have switched to more of a 3-3-stack defense. We are going to be more aggressive in what we are doing. We are smaller than we have been, but what we have done with our defense is identify our 11 to 15 best tacklers and how can we get them on the field. You have a guy like Landon Johnson that has been the starting linebacker. He’s playing nose right now and he’s wrecking havoc, making our offensive line better. He’s a good football player and the closer we can get him to the ball the better. Defensively, we are going to be pretty aggressive and faster. Since we are smaller than we have been in the past, I believe that puts us in a better situation. As a team that also means that we don’t have to use offensive linemen on defense which puts us in a situation where we can go faster on offense and stay fresher.

What about the offense?

We are going to be similar to last year and what coach Gowen did. We have Coach (Jay) Bishop who coached with him I think six years and really knows the offense inside and out, but just what you do each year, you change with the personnel you have. We have coach (Chase) Roberts in here this year, and him coach Bishop have really gelled well together. We are putting a little bit more of the quarterbacks’ plate this year, when you have a three-year starter (Adam Martin), you can do that so allowing in him to take a little bit more role of ownership of our offense in running more through him and putting the ball in his hands a little bit more. Losing Blaze Nelson, that does change things, when you have him that allows you to do certain things. We don’t have Blaze, but we have a group of running backs that give us a lot of different things. The offense will be pretty similar from what you seen on Friday nights last year, but how we get there will be a little bit different.

On the interim coach tag …

It’s an awesome opportunity. I think this school and administration has really helped for this team to be successful. We lost one coach and brought in two (Roberts and Hunter Davis). They understand the senior class we have is a talented group of kids, a good group of kids, that have been through a lot so trying to keep that continuity. I told our kids that this is a testament to them,and who they are, and how this administration sees these kids. To be the head coach in Heber Springs is a pretty awesome opportunity. We have a really great situation going.  I would love for that tag to removed at the end of the season and continue on here. I think it’s a great place.

THE SERIES

HEBER SPRINGS VS. CLINTON
“Battle of the Little Red”
Clinton leads the series 39-38-5.
Games played in Heber Springs: Tied, 19-19-1
Games played in Clinton: Clinton leads 20-18-4
Games played on a Neutral Field: Heber Springs leads, 1-0.

FIRST MEETING: Heber Springs’ first season of football was 1913 and it would be 26 years before Clinton fielded its first team. It didn’t take long for the two teams to meet after that with Heber Springs winning the first game played between the two schools on October 13, 1939, in Heber Springs. The Panthers won by a score of 31-0 on that day. The two teams met again less than a month later on Veteran’s Day (November 11) 1939 in Clinton where the Panthers and Yellowjackets played to a 6-6 tie. The teams would go on to play continuously after that with a couple of exceptions. During World War II, neither school fielded a team during the 1943 season while Clinton did not field one during the 1944 season. After the war, Clinton and Heber Springs would meet twice per season in 1945 and 1946 with the Yellowjackets winning all four meetings. Financial constraints in the Heber Springs School District forced the school to not field a football team for the 1947 and 1948 seasons. The two teams meet again during the 1949 season with Clinton winning both games of the home-and-home series. The teams would go on continuously playing until 2007 when the opener scheduled with Clinton — which was played during the 2006 season at the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic at Estes Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway — was changed to allow the Panthers to play Mayflower instead of Clinton in the same Kickoff Classic in 2007. The series resumed in 2008 and continues today.
LONGEST WINNING STREAKS: Clinton has won six straight in the series twice. Once from 1945-1949 and the second time from 2000-2005. Heber Springs won seven straight in the series from 1978-1984.
CONFERENCE FOES: Heber Springs and Clinton were first paired in the same conference in 1974. They would be paired in the same conference from 1974-1990. They would again be paired in the same conference from 1993-2001 and from 2008-2013. The two teams will be in the same conference next season when Clinton moves back up to class 4A. The Yellowjackets will replace Riverview in week 9.
OVERTIME GAMES: There have only been three overtime games in the series and those all occurred during a four-year span from 1986-1989. Clinton won a double overtime home contest in 1986 (20-14) while the Panthers won in overtime the following season in 1987, 19-12, in Heber Springs. In 1989, Clinton defeated Heber Springs, 13-12, at Panther Stadium.
CLOSE GAMES: Twenty-three of the games have been decided by a touchdown or less during the series, not including the five ties.
NOVEMBER THE 4TH: Strangely enough the largest margin of both schools in the series occurred the same day 50 years apart with Clinton (56) winning 56-0 on Nov. 4, 1949; while Heber Springs (39), won 57-18 on Nov. 4, 1999. The 75 combined points both teams in that 1999 contest remain the most combined points in any contest during the series.
DEFENSE: Of the 81 games played between the schools, the two teams have only combined to score more than 50 points or more 12 times, with seven those 50-plus combined scoring games coming since 2008.
COACH’S WIFE: Clinton head coach Chris Dufrene’s wife Heather (Bivins) is a 1987 graduate of Heber Springs High School.
TROPHY GAMES: Heber Springs won the trophy for the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic between the two schools in 2006, but since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red” trophy, Clinton has won all three meetings, 28-20 in 2016, and 28-17 in 2017 in Heber Springs, and 36-34 last season in Clinton. Heber Springs will be looking to break a three-game losing streak to Clinton.

GETTING YOU READY FOR GAMEDAY LINKS

JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL

Panthers fall in opener

Heber Springs’ Kenan Sneed leads the Panthers onto the field Thursday night against Clinton. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL

Panther Cubs win at Clinton

Heber Springs quarterback Liam Buffalo looks to get around the edge against Clinton in seventh-grade football action on Thursday in Clinton. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK

  • Saturday, September 7 – Volleyball at Cave City tournament
  • Monday, September 9 – Volleyball at Conway Christian, 4:30 p.m.
  • Monday, September 9 – Golf at Cypress Creek, 1 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 10 – Cross Country hosts Josh Park Memorial
  • Tuesday, September 10 – Tennis hosts Pottsville, 3:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – Golf at Red Apple Inn, 1 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – Tennis at Clarksville, 3:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – Volleyball at Clarksville, 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – 7th-Grade Football at Harding Academy, 5:30
  • Thursday, September 12 – Junior Football at Harding Academy, 7 p.m.
  • Friday, September 13 – Senior Football at Greenbrier, 7 p.m.

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Always taking submissions of old photos, and other collections of old sports notes and scorebooks of any sport on any level, including recreational, as long as it is Arkansas based.

VHS tapes: Can convert them for free. Please e-mail me at: pseaton1970@yahoo.com or message me on Facebook.

Contact me at pseaton1970@yahoo.com or on Facebook.

Please share and Go Panthers!