Day: October 17, 2019

Junior Panthers claim first win

Heber Springs’ Ryan Bommarito crosses the goal line for the Junior Panthers first touchdown of the season. Heber Springs defeated CAC, 22-12. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

October 9, 2019

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – Ryan Bommarito rushed 24 times for 124 yards and accounted for all of the scoring as Heber Springs defeated Central Arkansas Christian, 22-12, in junior high football action.

Heber Springs (1-4 overall and 1-2 in the 4A-2) hosts Bald Knob on Thursday.

Against CAC, the Panthers took the opening kickoff and marched methodically down the field on their best drive of the season taking the ball and punching into the end zone on a 4-yard run by Bommarito with 1:01 left in the opening quarter — it was the first points the ninth-grade group had scored since youth football. The 11-play, 66-yard drive took almost seven minutes off the clock. The 2-point conversion failed. Bommarito picked up 56 of those yards on eight carries.

Heber Springs got the ball back with 5:55 to play in the half after Chris Benton sacked the Mustang quarterback on fourth down at the CAC 49.

The ensuing drive appeared to stall before Conner Riddle connected with Chris Roberts on a 36-yard pass to put the ball on the 2. Bommarito plunged over on the next play to put Heber Springs up 12-0. Bommarito added the 2-point run with 2:44 left in the second quarter.

Riddle intercepted the CAC quarterback on the Mustangs next drive and returned it 30 yards to the CAC 44 with 1:02 left in the half, but time ran out on the scoring opportunity.

On CAC’s first drive of the second half, another interception, this time by Roberts, gave the Panthers the ball at the Mustang 27. Heber Springs pushed the ball to the 1, but a fumble stalled the drive short of the goal line. On the ensuing play, Bommarito sacked the Mustang quarterback in the end zone for a safety with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.

After the free kick by CAC and an eight-yard return by Roberts, Heber Springs took over on the Mustang 31. Five plays later Bommarito scored from the 5 to make it 22-0 with 6:28 left in the contest. The big play on the drive came on a 14-yard run by Riddle.

The Mustangs would add a pair of late touchdowns to make it interesting, but the Panthers would recover an onside kick and run out the clock to preserve the win.

HEBER SPRINGS COACH CHASE ROBERTS

PANTHER VIDEO CLIPS

Clips courtesy of Billy Smallwood

Heber Springs hosts Lonoke in final home match

Heber Springs senior Cheyenne Kent waits for a serve during recent volleyball action against Clarksville. The Panthers will face Lonoke at 4:30 p.m. in their final home match. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

October 17, 2019

Heber Springs will host Lonoke tonight at the Panther Den in a key 4A-Central volleyball match.

The Panthers (9-13 overall) set at 6-6 in the conference after wins over Clarksville last week (25-22, 25-19, and 25-19) and Dover (25-18, 25-15 and 25-11), on Tuesday, while Lonoke is 5-6 in conference play. Heber Springs is a half-game ahead of the Jackrabbits in the race for the fourth and final spot to represent the conference in the state tournament.

Morrilton leads the conference with an 11-0 mark followed by Pulaski Academy at 10-2 and Joe T. Robinson at 8-4.

Lonoke swept Heber Springs (25-23, 25-11 and 25-23) on Sept. 24. After today’s match, the Panthers will travel to Morrilton to close out conference play on Tuesday, before finishing regular season play on Thursday at Conway St. Joseph in a nonconference match.

Lonoke (7-16-3) will close out conference play with Clarksville and Forrest City.

If Lonoke and Heber Springs are tied at the end of the regular season, the Panthers will need to sweep the Jackrabbits today to go to the second tiebreakers of point differentials.

In the victory over Clarksville on Oct. 8, the match was forced out of the Panther Den after an air-conditioning unit malfunctioned, according to school officials, causing the smoke alarms to be set off inside the gym three points into the first match of the senior high match. The smell of smoke could also could be detected in the hallway near the girls’ dressing room. The players and fans were evacuated until the Heber Springs fire department arrived. Out of precaution, the match was moved to the old gymnasium.

A member of the Heber Springs Fire Department inside the Panther Den on Oct. 8.