Day: September 16, 2021

Junior Panthers take care of Dover

Heber Springs’ Seth Dudeck attempts to avoid a Dover defender Thursday night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Heber Springs’ Weston Warden finished with 126 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns as the junior Panthers wrapped up nonconference play with a 26-12 victory over Dover Thursday night at Panther Stadium.

Ninth-grader Liam Buffalo rushed nine times for 102 yards and a 43-yard touchdown that opened the scoring with 5:24 to play in the first half.

Buffalo’s run came after the Panther defense forced a three-and-out on Dover’s first possession.

On the Pirates second possession, Dover picked up a pair of first downs and reached the Panther 43, but a Buffalo recovered a Pirate fumble at the 50-yard line.

Heber Springs was flagged eight times for 52 yards on the night, including three on the Panthers next drive that stalled on their own 46.

Dover pushed the ball out to midfield, but Heber Springs’ defense stiffened forcing a punt attempt, but a high snap sailed over the punters head and Jacob McMullin recovered the loose football at the Dover 26.

Four plays later, Buffalo connected with Carter Julian for a 4-yard touchdown and a 2-point conversion with 3:13 left in the half.

Dover responded with a seven-play, 55-yard drive to get on the board with 37.5 seconds left in the half.

Heber Springs came out of the half and scored on a 12-play, 69-yard drive that Warden capped off with a 2-yard touchdown reception from Buffalo to make it 20-6 with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

The score would remain that way until late in the contest when Warden picked off a Talvin Leavell pass attempt and raced 83 yards for a score with just under a minute to play.

On the ensuing kickoff, Masters would race 85-yards to set the final score at 26-12.

Heber Springs will open conference play next week at Lonoke.

DOVER AT HEBER SPRINGS
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 
Dover           0   6   0   6 - 12 
Heber Springs   6   8   6   6 - 26 
FIRST QUARTER 
HS - Liam Buffalo 43-yard run (pass failed), 5:24 
SECOND QUARTER 
HS - Buffalo to Carter Julian 4-yard pass (Buffalo to Julian), 3:13
D - Drew Masters 2-yard run (run failed), 37.5
THIRD QUARTER 
HS - Buffalo to Weston Warden 14-yard pass (pass failed), 4:20
FOURTH QUARTER 
HS - Warden 83-yard interception return (pass failed), 57.6
D - Masters 85-yard kickoff return (run failed), 43.8
TEAM STATISTICS 
FIRST DOWNS: HS 9, D 13
RUSHES-YARDS: HS 14/108, D 33/116
PASSING YARDS: HS 72, D 31
COMP-ATT-INT: HS 9-16-0, D 4-8-1
FUMBLES: HS 1, D 2
PENALITIES-YARDS: HS 8-52, D 5-40
PUNTS-AVERAGE: HS 2-14.5, D 1-19
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 
RUSHING: HS, Liam Buffalo 9/102, Weston Warden 4/20, Team 1/(-4). Dover, Drew Masters 21/86, Talvin Leavell 7/29, Ty George 3/36, Timmy Callans 1/(-7), Team 1/(-28)
PASSING: HS, Buffalo 9/16-72-2/0. D, Talvin Leavell 4/8-31-0/1
RECEVING: HS, Carter Julian 3/16, Warden 2/21, Seth Dudeck 2/15, Logan Rutledge 2/20 
KICKOFF RETURNS: D, Masters 1/85, George 2/29, Chayner Owen 1/3 
PUNT RETURNS: None
INT RETURNS: HS, Warden 1/85
FUMBLE RETURNS: D, Team 1/8
PUNTS: HS, Buffalo 1/29, Team 1/0. D, Leavell 1/19

HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR HIGH SCHEDULE

(All Games Start at 7 p.m.)

Aug. 26 – Heber Springs 32, Clinton 28

Sep. 09 – Harding Academy 36, Heber Springs 16

Sep. 16 – Heber Springs 26, Dover 12

Sep. 23 – at Lonoke *

Sep. 28 – Stuttgart *

Oct. 07 – at Central Arkansas Christian *

Oct. 14 – Bald Knob *

Oct. 21 – at Southside Batesville *

Oct. 28 – at Clinton *

(* – Denotes conference contest)

PHOTO: Heber Springs Junior High Action

Heber Springs’ Carter Julian turns up field after catching a Liam Buffalo pass during the Junior Panthers 26-12 win over Dover Thursday night at Panther Stadium. Julian caught three passes, including one for a touchdown, as Heber Springs improved to 2-1 on the season. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Panther Cubs sink Pirates

Heber Springs’ Rhett Herring looks for running against Dover Thursday night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

The Heber Springs 7th-Grade Panthers claimed their first win of the season with a 16-6 victory over Dover Thursday night at Panther Stadium.

Heber Springs (1-1) started the scoring with a 22-yard touchdown run by Tanner Graham with 15:06 to play in the first half. Lachlan Tubbs connected with Rhett Herring for the 2-point conversion. The scoring drive was set-up by a 30-yard interception return by Herring.

The Panthers tacked on another score almost seven minutes later when Samuel Bush scored on a 34-yard run with 8:24 left in the first half. Tubbs against connected with Herring for the 2-point conversion to make it 16-0.

The score would remain that way until late in the contest when Dover’s Matthew Krantz scored on a 54-yard touchdown run with 6:34 to play. The 2-point conversion was no good.

HEBER SPRINGS 7TH-GRADE SCHEDULE

(All Game Times are 5:30 p.m.)

Aug. 26 – Clinton 16, Heber Springs 14

Sep. 09 – at Harding Academy (Canceled)

Sep. 16 – Heber Springs 16, Dover 6

Sep. 23 – at Lonoke

Sep. 30 – Stuttgart

Oct. 07 – at Central Arkansas Christian

Oct. 14 – Bald Knob

Oct. 21 – at Southside Batesville

Oct. 28 – at Clinton

HSHS All-Decade Team: 1940s

The 1940s era of Heber Springs football was one of uncertainty at both home and abroad.

The start of the decade saw the Panthers struggle to keep the program afloat because of financial reasons. A late push to raise the monies needed allowed the team to have a 1940 season, but without a dedicated coach, school superintendent Ben Lincoln stepped into the role of head coach. Fortunately for the Panthers, Lincoln had previously served as the head coach at Blytheville and was a former standout at what is now Ouachita Baptist University. Lincoln’s Panthers set a school record with six wins in 1940 with two wins over Bald Knob and wins over Cotton Plant, Clinton, England and Dardanelle. The Panthers started that season with losses to Cabot, Morrilton and Lonoke before winning six out of their last eight, falling to Conway and Batesville.

Lincoln would take a job in the Pocahontas district following the 1940-1941 school and principal R.A James would guide the team for the next two seasons. With World War II consuming most of the countries resources, high school football was put on the backburner by 1943, though the Panthers did manage to break out the pads for a Senior/Freshman versus the Juniors/Sophomores contest in 1943.

By 1944, the Panthers resumed playing other teams across the state, but still without the services of a coach. First Baptist Church pastor J. Paul Palmer stepped into the role for the 1944 and 45 seasons as the Panthers would go 2-11-2 over that span with victories over Morrilton and Dardanelle and ties with Pocahontas and Clinton.

For the 1946 season, recent HSHS graduate Henry Clay Kelley filled out the role as head coach managing a pair of wins over Cabot before the program was shuttered for the 1947 and 1948 seasons for financial reasons.

By 1949, the Panthers were ready to hit the field again and by now the Arkansas Activities Association had set-up conferences and Heber Springs played a conference schedule for the first time as a member of the 2B conference with Augusta and Cotton Plant under coach Bob Wilkinson. The Panthers would go 2-7-1 in their first season back with wins over Ola and Cotton Plant and a tie with Clinton.

The 1940s HSHS All-Decade Football Team

1945 – Eugene Cain

1942 – Robert Fisher

1940 – Hubert Holland

1944 – Tom Holland

1941 – Virlon James

1940 – Pete Jenkerson

1949 – Bob Jenkins

1943 – Henry Clay Kelley

1946 – Maurice Love

1943 – Leon McAnear

1941 – Ed Olmstead

1942 – Eugene Pate

1942 – Lee Roy Plummer

1941 – Dwain Smith

PREVIOUS DECADES

The 1930s HSHS All-Decade Team

The 1910s/20s HSHS All-Decade Team