Fan Photo: Heber Springs basketball
Month: February 2020
Hammons signs with Lyon College
February 10, 2020
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
Heber Springs senior Taylor Hammons signed a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics soccer letter-of-intent with Lyon College at the Panther Den Monday.
Hammons will start for the fourth consecutive year when the Lady Panthers open the season at Harding Academy on Feb. 24.
“I was looking at Harding University two years ago before everything changed,” Hammons said. “I’ve decided not to play in college. I visited Lyon College and it was a positive experience. The visit helped to change my mind. It was a calling for me to go there.”
Hammons scored 17 goals last season and average one goal per game during her career with 11 assists. She earned all-conference honors twice and named to the all-state team in 2018.
“Taylor has meant a lot to our program,” Heber Springs coach Drew Lawrence said. “She is our senior leader and helps in guiding the younger players. Taylor is a hard work. You need that type of a player on a team.”
Hammons began soccer on a third grade team in a youth league. Later, she played at Greenbrier in a fall league before high school.
Hammons said she looks forward to her senior season and expects the team to have success.
“We will have ups and downs, but I always know my teammates will back everyone up,” she said. “We lost two starters from last year’s team, but we will have a good team. We have a lot of senior starters returning.”
After the season, Hammons plans to switch her focus to Lyon College.
“One of my goals will be to improve my overall soccer skills,” she said. “I need to improve my footwork and working on that.”
Hammons is fourth Panther athlete to sign with the Batesville school in the past two seasons. She joins soccer teammate Libby Stutts (who signed to play basketball at Lyon) earlier this spring and Blaze Nelson (football) and Nicholas Chaney (baseball) who signed last year.
Wood starts work as new coach for Panthers
February 7, 2020
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
New Heber Springs High School head football coach Todd Wood wasted little time before getting to work.
Wood took the program’s reins Monday (Feb. 3) and spent most of the day in in-service training for teachers. He greeted the players for the first time on Tuesday (Feb. 4) and began the transition.
“Tuesday was the first day with the students,” said Wood, who also will teach social studies. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. I met with coaches Monday about what we want to do and put everything in place.”
Wood said it will take time, but he expressed confidence that players will accept the changes.
“We will be learning the players’ abilities for the next few weeks,” he said. “I need to learn names and put them with faces. We will be working on putting players in the right positions.”
Wood was defensive coordinator at Russeville High School and talked with David Farr, a former head coach of the Panthers and a member of the Russeville staff.
“Coach Farr was very valuable from the beginning when I expressed interest in the job,” Wood said. “He told me the community, school and kids would be great. He is the one who showed me what to expect and said the kids were dedicated to play well and hard workers.”
Wood said players will participate in spring sports, but he hopes to include them in the transition as much as possible.
“Spring ball is not far away,” Wood said. “We need to immediately start teaching a different philosophy of offense and defense. We need to get the players into a learning situaton as fast as possible.”
Wood said extra meetings may be necessary.
“We have our offseason going on and work primarily in the weight room,” he said. “We will be trying to get those guys working on our game plan. We want all of the guys involved.”
Wood was the defensive coordinator at Pulaski Academy from 2003-2016 and said the Panthers will play similar offensive and defensive schemes. The Bruins won six state titles during that time frame.
“I spent 23 years at Pulaski Academy and that had the biggest impact on my coaching philosophy,” Wood said. “I will fit the offense to the players and put them in the best position to win. We plan to utitize the entire field and spread the defense out. It will take a lot of work and we will learn how to play with dicipline.”
Wood plans a familiar approach on defense.
“We want to fit our defense to whatever a team’s offense,” he said. “We will play an aggressive defense with different coverages in the secondary.”
Wood said players will participate in summer camps and also play 7-on-7, but the focus will be on preparing for the start of the season in September.
“We will re-evaluate everything in June and keep the focus on us,” Wood said. “We will learn where to line up and what we need to do. I don’t want the team to be unprepared. Our goal is have a good grasp of the offense and defense before the start of the season.”
Panthers fall to Subiaco Academy
February 7, 2020
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
A second-quarter scoring blitz proved too much for the Heber Springs Panthers against Subiaco Academy at the Panther Den Friday.
After Dalton McCollum’s field goal gave Heber Springs a 12-11 lead early in the second quarter, the Trojans seized control with a 17-4 scoring run and defeated the Panthers 54-23 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game.
Heber Springs was held to five points during the final two quarters.
The Panthers, who played with five players at Dardanelle in the previous games, dressed out seven players against Subiaco Academy. Gus Hannah remained sidelined because of the flu and Ryan Crocker was unable to play because of a wrist injury. Zach Thomas and Logan Monahan, who missed the Dardanelle game because of the flu, played for the first time in a week.
“We were running out of gas and juice by halftime,” Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson said. “Garrett Hudsepth injured his knee early in the second half. If we had been a healthy team, it would have been more of a competitive game at the end.”
Heber Springs led for the first time on Adam Martin’s 3-pointer during the opening quarter, 5-4.
Hudspeth scored to increase it the Panther advantage before three consecutive lead changes.
Subiaco Academy led 11-10 going into the second quarter and increased it to 28-16 by halftime.
The Trojans pulled away after going on an 18-2 scoring run and took a 46-18 lead into the fourth quarter.
McCollum scored six points for Heber Springs. Conner King and Matthew Kremers each had 12 points for Subiaco Academy.
Johnson said his team continued the battle against fatigue and lack of depth. He liked how his team played at Dardanelle with only five healthy players.
“The players played with a lot of heart, dug deep and showed a lot of character,” Johnson said. “Dardanelle parents told me how they were impressed how our players competed.”
Heber Springs (1-11 in conference, 1-21 overall) will complete the regular season at Morrilton and host Clarksville on Friday. The conference tournament is scheduled at Dardanelle on Feb. 17-22.
“Both games will be very challenging,” Johnson said. “We lost by five points at Clarksville.”
February 7th SUBIACO ACADEMY AT HEBER SPRINGS Subiaco Academy 11 17 18 8 - 54 Heber Springs 10 6 2 5 - 23 SUBIACO ACADEMY SCORING (54): Conner King 12, Matthew Kremers 12, Ivan Martijn 9, Paul Niba 6, Johnathan Mercera 5, John Ho 4, Jude Percy-Allen 2, Justin Luidens 2, Nathan Nguyen 2. HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (23): Dalton McCollum 6, Adam Martin 5, Wyatt Sanders 4, Austin Winchester 3, Garrett Hudspeth 2, Logan Monahan 2, Zach Thomas 1. February 4th HEBER SPRINGS AT DARDANELLE Heber Springs 9 12 13 13 - 47 Dardanelle 19 14 15 19 - 67 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (47): Wyatt Sanders 18, Dalton McCollum 12, Adam Martin 10, Garrett Hudsepth 5, Austin Winchester 2 DARDANELLE SCORING (67): Blake Chambers 17, Tristan Broadway 12, Sam Williams 8, JT Meling 8, Marteez Jackson 6, Chris Martin 6, Clayton Potter 4, Jordan Metcalf 2, Titus Spencer 2, Nathaniel Griffiths 2 January 31 HEBER SPRINGS AT OZARK Heber Springs 7 3 10 9 - 29 Ozark 17 17 14 12 - 60 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (29): Dalton McCollum 13, Wyatt Sanders 6, Austin Winchester 5, Gus Hannah 3, Garrett Hudspeth 2 OZARK SCORING (60): Corbin Pelts 12, Jaxson Harris 11, Sebastian Ross 10, Ethan Dorrough 9, Keystan Durning 7, Wyatt Clauson 4,Tanner Bailie 3, Kayden McAnally 2, Kirkland Quinton 2
, Conference Season Morrilton 9-3 17-8 Ozark 9-3 16-8 Dardanelle 9-3 22-3 Pottsville 8-4 10-10 Clarksville 6-6 10-14 Subiaco Academy 5-7 9-14 Heber Springs 1-11 1-21 Dover 1-11 5-20
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL 2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS RECORD: 1-21 4A-4 RECORD: 1-11 November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36 November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35 December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 # December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 # December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^ December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53 December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43 December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43 December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^ December 26 - Rose Bud 68, Heber Springs 65 (OT) * December 27 - Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60 * December 28 - Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41 * January 7 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 26 ^ January 10 - Subiaco Academy 47, Heber Springs 28 ^ January 14 - Dardanelle 70, Heber Springs 13 ^ January 17 - Clarksville 38, Heber Springs 32 ^ January 21 - Morrilton 58, Heber Springs 43 ^ January 24 - Dover 55, Heber Springs 50 ^ January 28 - Pottsville 68, Heber Springs 49 ^ January 31 - Ozark 60, Heber Springs 29 ^ February 4 - Dardanelle 67, Heber Springs 47 ^ February 7 - Subiaco Academy 54, Heber Springs 23 ^ February 11 - at Morrilton ^ February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^ February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle (# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament) (^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) (* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)
Bradshaw earns conference honors for Saturday win
February 10, 2020
By GAC SPORTS INFORMATION
RUSSELLVILLE – The Great American Conference announced the league’s Baseball honors for the second week of the 2020 season. Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Colton Buckner earned the Player award while Harding’s Andrew Bradshaw and Southern Arkansas’ Zach Smith shared the Pitching accolade.
GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Colton Buckner, Southeastern Oklahoma State, LF/1B, Sr., Garland, Texas
Buckner reached base 15 times in his 16 trips to the plate the Savage Storm’s four-game series with Northeastern State. He registered three multi-hit games against the RiverHawks and walked eight times. He hit a home run in the opener and doubled in his only official at bat in game three. He scored three runs and drove in three.
GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Andrew Bradshaw, Harding, SP, Jr., Heber Springs
Bradshaw picked up his first win with the Bisons after he recorded a three-hit shutout against Southwest Baptist on Saturday. He struck out four and walked just one. He required only 98 pitches in the 4-0 victory and allowed only one Bearcat to advance into scoring position.
GAC BASEBALL CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Zach Smith, Southern Arkansas, SP, Sr., Katy, Texas
Smith worked 8.0 scoreless innings against Missouri Western to capture his second win in as many starts. He held the Griffons the four hits, three singles. He stuck out seven against three walks. In two starts, spanning 15.0 innings, he has registered 17 strikeouts and surrendered only six hits. The Muleriders have started 8-0 for the first time since 1986.
OTHERS NOMINATED
Kaimana Bartolome, INF (Oklahoma Baptist), David Butterfield, 3B (Harding), Audy Clary, INF (Arkansas-Monticello), Bryce Donovan, C (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Clay Lockett, INF (Southern Nazarene), Brett McGee, C (Southern Arkansas), Stormy Taylor, OF (Arkansas Tech)
Colby Carlson, SP (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Ryan Collins, SP (East Central), Livan Cordova, SP (Arkansas-Monticello), Jake Lipetzky, SP (Oklahoma Baptist), Jacob Potter, SP (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
Lady Panthers head to Morrilton, face Clarksville for regional spot Friday
February 11, 2020
The Heber Springs Lady Panthers head into the final week of the regular season riding high on a four-game winning streak, including three straight on the road.
Heber Springs will put its season-tying best win streak on the line when it travels to Morrilton (17-5, 10-1 in the 4A-4) tonight. It will be the final regular season road contest for the Lady Panthers as they look to avenge a 20-point setback last month at the Panther Den.
“We didn’t play well against Morrilton the last time when they were here,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “I think the girls have responded well … they know we didn’t play very good.”
Morrilton clinched the outright conference title Friday night with a 47-30 victory against Clarksville, but there is still plenty for Heber Springs to play for, but that will come on Friday — Senior Night for the Panthers and Lady Panthers.
Against the Devil Dogs, Heber Springs can get a measure of revenge and win a season-best fifth game in-a-row heading into Friday’s showdown with Clarksville.
In order to do that, the Lady Panthers will have to continue to play what Riddle described as “consistent” basketball.
“Right now we are playing that way,” he said. “We are consistently shooting the ball, rebounding fairly, not turning the ball over and not getting in a hurry.”
Riddle also said everyone is pitching in and doing their job.
“Libby’s (Stutts) is starting to shoot the ball well right now,” he said before continuing, “Jillian’s (Herring) is playing hard. We played well on the road. We had three tough road games so far, we’ll see if we can stay on that streak (tonight).”
Senior Claudia Newberry is one of those who is probably playing the best basketball of Lady Panther career finishing with 10 points in a victory at Dardanelle on Feb. 4 and 14 points at Ozark on Jan. 31.
“Our post play as been a lot better,” Riddle said. “We’ve had different ones that we are able to go to now and get some things done.”
Heber Springs has wrapped up at least the three seed for next week’s 4A-4 District Tournament at Dardanelle. With a win tonight at Morrilton and a win on Friday against Clarksville, the Lady Panthers will be the No. 2 seed and earn a spot in the district tournament semifinals and an automatic to the regional tournament in two weeks at Berryville.
Heber Springs can still get the No. 2 seed with a loss against Morrilton tonight, but the Lady Panthers would have to beat Clarksville by eight or more points to earn the spot.
“It will be huge, still a lot there (to play for),” Riddle said. “We just need to go take care of business.”
February 4 HEBER SPRINGS AT DARDANELLE Heber Springs 10 15 13 12 - 50 Dardanelle 2 7 6 11 - 26 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (50): Jillian Herring 18, Claudia Newberry 10, Ellie Riddle 8, Mary Shearer 8, LiLi Chaney 3, Brandy Meredith 2, Ashley Spanel 1 DARDANELLE SCORING (26): Doughtrey 10, Abby Apple 6, Anette Navarrette 5, Brooklyn Tidwell 3, Ellie Stokes 2 January 31 HEBER SPRINGS AT OZARK Heber Springs 14 9 12 8 - 43 Ozark 9 10 13 7 - 39 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (43): Claudia Newberry 14, Jillian Herring 11, Ellie Riddle 7, Libby Stutts 6, Ashley Spanel 4, Mary Shearer 2 OZARK SCORING (39): Mary Grace Ree 15, Kelsee Barnett 10, Summer Joy 7, Autumn Joy 4, Tanner Richard 3
4A-4 STANDINGS
Conference Season
Morrilton 10-1 17-5
Clarksville 8-3 12-12
Heber Springs 7-3 16-7
Pottsvile 5-5 11-9
Dover 5-5 14-9
Ozark 1-9 13-11
Dardanelle 0-10 2-22HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS RECORD: 16-7 4A-4 RECORD: 7-3 November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31 November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45 November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27 November 26 - Heber Springs 56, Clinton 54 (OT) December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 47, Heber Springs 44 # December 5 - Heber Springs 53, South Side Bee Branch 34 # December 7 - Heber Springs 44, Wonderview 43 # December 10 - Heber Springs 59, Dover 56 ^ December 13 - Marshall 70, Heber Springs 52 December 16 - Heber Springs 51, White County Central 31 December 20 - Heber Springs 55, Ozark 42 ^ December 26 - Heber Springs 70, DeWitt 34 * December 27 - Pea Ridge 49, Heber Springs 44 * December 28 - Mayflower 58, Heber Springs 37 * January 7 - Pottsville 49, Heber Springs 45 ^ January 9 - Heber Springs 70, Newport 51 January 14 - Heber Springs 47, Dardanelle 29 ^ January 17 - Clarksville 48, Heber Springs 41 ^ January 21 - Morrilton 52, Heber Springs 32 ^ January 24 - Heber Springs 59, Dover 53 ^ January 28 - Heber Springs 74, Pottsville 64 ^ January 31 - Heber Springs 43, Ozark 39 ^ February 4 - Heber Springs 52, Dardanelle 25 ^ February 11 - at Morrilton ^ February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^ February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle (# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament) (^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) (* - Denotes Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Tournament at Heber Springs) ($ - Denotes 4A-4 District Tournament at Dardanelle)
Heber Springs junior girls get host Ozark at district tourney
January 10, 2020
Heber Springs heads into tonight’s 4A-4 junior girls district tournament having lost its regular season finale to Dardanelle on February 4th, but coach Jamey Riddle likes his team’s chances.
The Panthers will open with the host Ozark at 6:15 p.m. as the No. 4 seed. Ozark defeated Heber Springs in the district title game last season.
“We’ve beat Ozark both times this year,” Riddle said. “We just need to show up and play.”
He added that is something that Heber Springs has done on two out of it’s last three conference road trips, a 52-24 setback to Pottsville on January 28th and a 36-20 loss at Dardanelle on February 4th.
“We went over to Pottsville and laid an egg,” Riddle said. “We just didn’t play very well.”
Against the Sand Lizards, the Panthers trailed 10-2 at the end of the first quarter and 19-7 at the half, and couldn’t overcome the deficit.
“We only lost to by three here (to Dardanelle) in a game that we felt like we should have won,” Riddle said. “We just didn’t get it done.”
The Panthers entered what Riddle called a “little slump” after a big 55-52 win over Dover on January 24th. Heber Springs played a good Mayflower team, one that handed Dover it’s first loss of the season before the Panthers beat them for it’s second, on the road on a Monday before traveling to Pottsville the following day.
“They beat us pretty good, but they only beat us by five here,” Riddle said. “We just didn’t play very well, and we had a few that weren’t feeling very with all of the sickness that was going around.”
A win by Heber Springs and the Panthers would get Pottsville in a semifinal contest at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
“I like our chances and where we are at (in the bracket),” Riddle said. “You never know. Practice has been good in the mornings and this is going to be a new week. You just have to show up and play.”
February 4 HEBER SPRINGS AT DARDANELLE Heber Springs 2 5 4 9 - 20 Dardanelle 10 9 8 9 - 36 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (20): Sophia Stone 6, Rylee Harrod 4, Riley Bailey 3, Emmie Fuller 3, Molly Smith 2, Cristina Garcia 2 DARDANELLE SCORING (36): Rylea Manning 12, Bethani Walter 10, Kaylee Meredith 4, Karlie Barber-Cursh 4, Avery Robinson 3, Gabby Ganadino 2, Jayden Vasquez 1 January 31 HEBER SPRINGS AT OZARK Heber Springs 9 10 10 6 - 35 Ozark 6 2 0 7 - 15 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (35): Sophia Stone 14, Jaylea Hooten 10, Rylee Harrod 5, Savannah Stout 2, Molly Smith 2, Marin McKenzie 2 OZARK SCORING (15): No. 10 5, Ree 3, Powell 3, Burns 2, Bailey 1, Woolsey 1
HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL 2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS COACH: Jamey Riddle OVERALL RECORD: 11-10 4A-4 RECORD: 3-5 November 9 - Heber Springs 27, Greenbrier 16 ^ November 12 - Heber Springs 33, Nemo Vista 27 November 14 - Dover 60, Heber Springs 49 ^ November 16 - Heber Springs 40, Marshall 25 ^ November 19 - Heber Springs 44, South Side Bee Branch 22 November 21 - Heber Springs 46, Riverview 13 November 23 - Heber Springs 62, Cabot South 8th 10 * November 23 - Conway Blue 35, Heber Springs 29 * November 26 - Clinton 48, Heber Springs 40 December 10 - Dover 43, Heber Springs 33 # December 12 - Heber Springs 52, South Side Bee Branch 31 December 20 - Heber Springs 21, Ozark 7 # January 7 - Pottsville 34, Heber Springs 31 # January 9 - Heber Springs 40, Newport 21 January 14 - Dardanelle 32, Heber Springs 29 # January 16 - Mount Vernon-Enola 38, Heber Springs 33 January 24 - Heber Springs 55, Dover 52 # January 27 - Mayflower 47, Heber Springs 42 January 28 - Pottsville 52, Heber Springs 24 # January 31 - Heber Springs 35, Ozark 15 # February 3 - Quitman (Canceled/Flu) February 4 - Dardanelle 36, Heber Springs 20 # February 10 - Heber Springs at Ozark $ (^ - Denotes Marshall Tournament) (* - Denotes Heber Springs Tournament) (# - Denotes 4A-4 Conference Game) ($ - Denotes 4A-4 District Tournament at Ozark)
Panthers head to district tournament as No. 4 seed
February 10, 2020
The Heber Springs junior high boys closed out their regular season with a 46-24 victory over Subiaco Academy Friday night at the Panther Den.
Eli Riggs (11) and Conner Riddle (10) each finished in double figures as the Panthers led 24-14 at the half and 41-22 at the end of three quarters.
Heber Springs finished the season as No. 4 seed and will open the 4A-4 District tournament today at Ozark. The Panthers will play Dover at 5 p.m. The Pirates defeated Heber Springs at the Marshall tournament, 43-36, and on January 24 at Heber Springs, 39-28, while the Panthers won at Dover on December 10, 45-33.
The winner of the Dover/Heber Springs contest will play at 5:30 p.m. in the semifinals at Ozark.
February 7 SUBIACO ACADEMY AT HEBER SPRINGS Subiaco Academy 4 10 8 2 - 24 Heber Springs 9 15 17 5 - 46 SUBIACO ACADEMY SCORING (24): B. Koch 9, G. Vargas 8, M. Mayeux 4, L. Hess 3 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (46): Eli Riggs 11, Conner Riddle 10, Ladd Choate 7, Xander Lindley 6, Luke Greenwald 4, Bent McClain 4, Hud Haggard 2, Bauer Pruitt 2 February 6 CEDAR RIDGE AT HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR BOYS "B" CEDAR RIDGE SCORING (10): No. 14 4, No. 31 2, No. 5 2, No. 44 2 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (30): Hud Haggard 12, Easton Cusick 10, Wyatt Winchester 6, Ladd Choate 2 February 4 HEBER SPRINGS AT DARDANELLE Dardanelle 22 12 9 1 - 44 Heber Springs 4 5 7 13 - 29 DARDANELLE SCORING (44): Braden Tanner 12, Robert Millard 10, Drew Vega 7, Chase Jordan 6, Holt 5, Trenton Whitecotton 4 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (29): Hud Haggard 12, Conner Riddle 7, Ladd Choate 6, Bauer Pruitt 2, Bent McClain 2 January 31 HEBER SPRINGS AT OZARK Ozark 20 19 16 7 - 62 Heber Springs 9 8 14 7 - 33 OZARK SCORING (62): Watson 22, Shaffer 11, Masingale 10, Peters 5, Archer 4, Wright 3, Cowell 3, Stane 2, Parker 2 HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Conner Riddle 12, Eli Riggs 8, Bent McClain 6, Bauer Pruitt 5, Wyatt Winchester 3, Hud Haggard 2, Ladd Choate 2
HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR BOYS BASKETBALL 2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS COACH: Chad Johnson OVERALL RECORD: 6-16 4A-4 RECORD: 3-6 November 9 - Greenbrier 37, Heber Springs 17 ^ November 12 - Nemo Vista 45, Heber Springs 37 November 13 - Heber Springs 54, Yellville-Summit 50 ^ November 14 - Dover 43, Heber Springs 36 ^ November 19 - Heber Springs 44, South Side Bee Branch 38 November 21 - Riverview 51, Heber Springs 21 November 23 - Cabot South 8th 37, Heber Springs 33 * November 23 - Conway Blue 71, Heber Springs 39 * November 26 - Clinton 44, Heber Springs 27 December 10 - Heber Springs 45, Dover 33 # December 13 - Marshall 46, Heber Springs 38 December 16 - Heber Springs 36, White County Central 35 December 20 - Ozark 46, Heber Springs 28 # January 7 - Pottsville 51, Heber Springs 35 # January 10 - Heber Springs 33, Subiaco Academy 3 # January 14 - Dardanelle 43, Heber Springs 17 # January 16 - Mount Vernon-Enola 44, Heber Springs 41 (OT) January 24 - Dover 39, Heber Springs 28 # January 27 - Mayflower 52, Heber Springs 20 January 28 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 28 # January 31 - Ozark 62, Heber Springs 33 # February 4 - Dardanelle 44, Heber Springs 29 # February 7 - Heber Springs 46, Subiaco Academy 24 # February 10 - Heber Springs vs. Dover $ (^ - Denotes Marshall Tournament) (* - Denotes Heber Springs Tournament) (# - Denotes 4A-4 Conference Game) ($ - Denotes 4A-4 District Tournament at Ozark)
Donation offers scholarship to top shot at Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program
February 5, 2020
By RANDY ZELLERS/AGFC ASSISTANT CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS
LITTLE ROCK — Student athletes considering participating in this year’s Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program have a new reason to sign up and build their shotgunning skills: the chance to claim a $1,250 scholarship as top gun in the Champion of Champions shoot that will be held in conjunction with the program’s state championship event.
The additional scholarship opportunity is possible thanks to the Homebuilders Association of Greater Little Rock. In November, they signed a five-year agreement to donate $2,500 each year to the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation to support the scholarship. The remaining portion of the donation will be held in an annuity to continue funding the scholarship in the future.
AYSSP is a competitive trap shooting program created by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in 2007 for any student in grades 6-12. Teams practice on their own beginning in February, and then compete in regional tournaments held each weekend from the end of April through May. Teams and individuals who qualify through regionals advance to the annual state championship.
Jimmy Self, AYSSP coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, says the contract will renew at the end of its five-year term unless either party opts to cancel it at that time, so the donation may very well support young shooters’ college goals for the foreseeable future.
“We’ve always been able to provide a scholarship to the top teams in the senior division at the state championship, but this will be the first time we can offer the top overall shooter a scholarship as well,” Self said.
According to Self, before this donation it was entirely possible for the best shooter in the whole program to get a trophy and a pat on the back, but no scholarship like the top overall team. In some cases, individual shooters have come to the state championship’s “Champion of Champions” competition from teams that didn’t even show up to the final weekend’s shoot.
“Usually the top shooter is on a qualifying team, but there are cases when the entire team could not make it to the competition day,” Self said. “We hope the added incentive helps motivate some of our young outdoors-oriented students to take up the sport and compete.”
Visit www.agfc.com/ayssp for more information on the program.
Rabbits, squirrels offer last-chance hunting opportunity
February 5, 2020
By RANDY ZELLERS/AGFC ASSISTANT CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS
LITTLE ROCK – Duck season is over, and turkey season is still months away, but hunters looking for one more way to stay in the woods still can find plenty of excitement in small game hunting. Both rabbit and squirrel seasons remain open until 30 minutes after sunset, Feb. 29.
Squirrels and rabbits are still abundant throughout most of Arkansas, and February hunting can prove some of the most predictable for the hunter who goes it alone or with a friend. Nearly all of the leaves and vines have dropped to the ground, making it easier for the hunter to find his target.
Hunters after squirrels should keep an eye on both the ground and the treetops, as most bushytails will be busy seeking the acorns and hickory nuts they stashed during fall. Contrary to popular opinion, squirrels don’t necessarily remember the exact locations they buried their foodstuffs. Instead, they tend to stick to a few areas where they bury or hide their treasure. During winter, they use their keen sense of smell to find acorns and nuts that they and other squirrels have hidden. This frantic scratching and searching gives hunters the ability to hear and see the motion long before the squirrels see them.
Instead of focusing on a few hickory or acorn trees and sitting, late-season hunters are better off staying on the move, quietly slipping through the woods until they cross paths with a squirrel. An accurate .22 rimfire rifle will anchor the animal from long distances as long as the shooter is up to the task.
Finding rabbits at the tail-end of the season is a bit different. Rabbits will stay put in whatever brushy cover they can find along the edges of fields and ditches. Ditch banks are traditionally a place for rabbit seeking, and here there is a chance for swamp rabbits as well as cottontails. Swampers tend to be a good bit larger than the more numerous cottontails.
With most of the tall grasses dead and trampled down, fewer patches of dense cover will be left for the rabbit to hide. Hunters should walk from brush pile to brush pile, giving each a good kick to flush out any cottontails or swamp rabbits lurking underneath. The shot will come quickly, so hunters should get ready before each brushpile and watch in all directions for the little brown dart that may streak to the next available cover at any given moment. A 12- or 20-gauge shotgun with 6 shot and an improved cylinder choke offers plenty of power to punch through light brush, but still has a wide enough pattern to give the hunter a little leeway when his or her shot is slightly off.
Nearly all Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife management areas are open for rabbit and squirrel hunting, and so are some of the national wildlife refuges in the state. Visit www.agfc.com/wheretohunt to locate a WMA near you and begin your search for the last game of this hunting season.