Arkansas Sports Archives
October 3, 2019
HEBER SPRINGS – Heber Springs fell to Stuttgart, 20-6, in seventh-grade football action at Panther Stadium.
Heber Springs (3-1) struck first on the game’s first play as Weston Warden picked up a Ricebird fumble and scored to put the Panthers up 6-0.
But Stuttgart would go on to scored 20 unanswered points to claim the win.
Heber Springs will travel to North Little Rock on Thursday to face Central Arkansas Christian with a 5:30 p.m. start time.
VIDEO CLIPS
LAST SEASON
LAST WEEK
4A-2 CONFERENCE STANDINGS
W L CP W L PS PA Lonoke 1 0 13 2 2 138 135 Southside Batesville 1 0 13 3 1 144 101 Riverview 1 0 10 3 1 133 117 Bald Knob 1 0 7 1 3 42 113 Central Arkansas Christian 0 1 0 2 2 128 122 Little Rock Mills 0 1 0 1 3 66 91 Heber Springs 0 1 0 0 4 109 145 Stuttgart 0 1 0 0 4 98 161 Friday, September 27 Lonoke 32, Heber Springs 12 Bald Kno 14, Little Rock Mills 7 Southside Batesville 43, Stuttgart 21 Riverview 29, Central Arkansas Christian 19 Friday, October 4 Heber Springs at Stuttgart Southside Batesville at Riverview Bald Knob at Lonoke Central Arkansas Christian at Little Rock Mills
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX
GAME NOTES
THE SERIES: Stuttgart leads the all-times series, 10-3. The two teams first meet in 2006 when the Ricebirds dropped from class 5A down to 4A and were placed in the same conference with Heber Springs. Stuttgart won the first four meetings before the Panthers claimed a 20-14 win in 2010.
LAST TIME IN STUTTGART: The last time these two teams meet in Arkansas County, Stuttgart claimed a 20-7 victory on September 29, 2017. Heber Springs is 1-5 in games played in Stuttgart. The Panthers lone win came in 2011 with a 28-21 victory. The 28 points in that contest was the most points the Panthers have scored on the Ricebirds home turf.
WINLESS: This will be the first time Stuttgart and Heber Springs have played where both teams were winless.
0-4: The last time Heber Springs started the season with four consecutive losses was in 2013, Steve Janski’s final season as head coach. The Panthers finished that season with a record of 2-8, before that you would have to go back to the 2003 season when the Panthers started on 0-4 on their way to a winless campaign.
PLAYOFF SEEDINGS: The top two seeds out of the conference are paired with the 4A-8 conference (Crossett, DeWitt, Dumas, Hamburg, Helena-West Helena Central, Monticello, Star City and Warren) while the conference’s lower three seeds are paired with the 4A-1 conference (Shiloh Christian, Berryville, Gravette, Gentry, Green Forest, Lincoln, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove). The No. 1 seed out of the 4A-2 hosts the No. 5 seed out of the 4A-8. The No. 2 seed hosts the No. 4 seed out of the 4A-8. The No. 3 seed hosts the No. 3 out of the 4A-1. The No. 4 seed travels to the No. 2 seed out of the 4A-1, while the No. 5 seed travels to No. 1 seed out of the 4A-1.
100-YARD STREAK: In the loss to Lonoke last week, it was the first time since a week 2 loss to Greenbrier in 2018 (a span of 13 games) that the Panthers failed to have a back rush for 100 yards or more. That was also the last time the Panthers were held to fewer than 20 points in a game.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: HARLEY HANNAH
SEASON STATS
Heber Springs 28 20 13 48 - 109 (27.3) Opponent 25 35 42 43 - 145 (36.3) TEAM First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 54, Opponent 35 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 22, Opponent 35 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 2, Opponent 4 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 78, Opponent 75 Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 31/57 (54.4), Opponent 12/35 (34.3) Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 10/18 (55.6), Opponent 3 /6 (50) Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 9/10 (9 tds), Opponent 14/16 (13 tds, 1FG) Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 8/6, Opponent 5/1 Turnovers: Heber Springs 10, Opponent 2 Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 13, Opponent 21 Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 28/187, Opponent 26/211 Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 268/1632/6.1, Opponent 209/1390/6.7 Rushing: Heber Springs 189/1042/5.5, Opponent 136/609/4.8 Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 260.5, Opponent 152.3 Passing: Heber Springs 41/78-589-4/3, Opponent 53/85-761-10/1 Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 147.3, Opponent 190.3 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 10/68, Opponent 7/33 Punts: Heber Springs 9/369/41, Opponent 13/446/34.3 INDIVIDUAL OFFENSE RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Adam Martin 85/465/5.5/116.3/2, Julio Rubio 82/397/4.8/99.3/7, Landon Johnson 26/122/4.7/30.5/3, Nathan McKee 1/6/6/1.5/0. BIG CAT RUNS (50+): Adam, Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1 RUNS OF 40+: Adam Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1 RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam Martin 2 RUNS OF 20+: Adam Martin 6, Julio Rubio 3 RUNS OF 10+: Adam Martin 14, Julio Rubio 10, Landon Johnson 3 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Adam Martin 3, Julio Rubio 2 PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 41/78-589-4/3 250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1 RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Julio Rubio 9/122/13.6, Matthew Cook 8/86/10.8, Nathan McKee 7/75/10.7/1, Fate Berry 6/100/16.7/1, Hunter Kent 4/32/8, Tri Johnson 4/150/37.5/2, Landon Johnson 3/14/4.7 100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1 TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 1054/263.5, Julio Rubio 397/99.3, Landon Johnson 122/30.5, Nathan McKee 6/1.5 KICKOFF RETURNS: Matthew Cook 4/62/15.5, Tri Johnson 4/53/13.3, Hunter Kent 3/46/15.3, Julio Rubio 3/44/14.7, Levy Phillips 2/14/7, Nathan McKee 1/11/11, Diego Rubio 1/13/13, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 6, Jackson West 1/1, Tristan Thissen 1/0. PUNT RETURNS: Nathan McKee 1/ 3, Tri Johnson 1/(-3) INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Dalton McCollum 1/4 FUMBLE RETURNS: None ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 563/140.8, Adam Martin 465/116.3, Tri Johnson 200/66.7, Matthew Cook 148/37, Landon Johnson 136/34, Fate Berry 100/25, Nathan McKee 95/23.8, Hunter Kent 78/26, Levy Phillips 14/4.5, Diego Rubio 13/3.3, Harley Bresnahan 6/1.5, Dalton McCollum 4/1, Jackson West 1/.3 DEFENSE TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 32/11/43, Landon Johnson 12/9/21, Lawrence Baureis 9/8/17, Levy Phillips 10/7/17, Hunter Kent 8/8/16, Kaden Hughes 10/5/15, Matthew Cook 12/3/15, Tri Johnson 6/5/11, Harley Bresnhan 6/3/9, Dalton McCollum 4/4/8, Julio Rubio 5/1/6, Jackson West 4/2/6,Nathan McKee 3/2/5, Diego Rubio 1/3/4, Trent Barnes 1/1/2, Preston Jones 1/1/2, Devon Doxey 2/0/2, Nathan Hitchcock 2/0/2, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1, Tristan Thissen 0/1/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1. TACKLES FOR LOSS: Fate Berry 8, Landon Johnson 7.5, Kaden Hughes 2.5, Levy Phillips 2, Tri Johnson 1, Harley Bresnahan 1. SACKS/YARDS LOST: Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Kaden Hughes 1/ 4, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Tri Johnson 2/ 18, Fate Berry 2.5/18, Julio Rubio .5/9 INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1 FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Nathan McKee 1 PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 9/369/41/1 SCORING: Julio Rubio 54 (9 tds), Landon Johnson 18 (3 tds), Jackson Harrod 13 (13-14 PAT), Adam Martin 12 (2 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Fate Berry 6 (1 td), Nathan McKee 6 (1 td)
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: LEVY PHILLIPS
MARKEDTIME.COM PLAYERS OF WEEK
WEEK 4 vs. LONOKE
OFFENSE – Fate Berry. DEFENSE – Landon Johnson
WEEK 3 vs. HARDING ACADEMY
OFFENSE – Tri Johnson. DEFENSE – Dalton McCollum
WEEK 2 vs. GREENBRIER
OFFENSE – Harley Hannah. DEFENSE – Levy Phillips
WEEK 1 vs. CLINTON
OFFENSE – Adam Martin and Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Fate Berry
JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL
The Heber Springs Panther junior high team fell to 0-4 on the season with a 28-0 setback to Stuttgart Thursday night at Panther Stadium. Heber Springs travels to Central Arkansas Christian on Thursday.
SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL
The Heber Springs seventh-grade team suffered its first loss of the season Thursday night with a 20-6 loss to Stuttgart. Heber Springs sets at 3-1 on the year.
PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK
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September 28, 2018
By PHILIP SEATON
HEBER SPRINGS – Heber Springs trailed by 16 or more points three different times in the third quarter, but it took Stuttgart killing the final 4:19 of the contest to hold off the Panthers and claim a 36-33 4A-2 victory Friday night at Panther Stadium.
Heber Springs trailed, 36-19, when Dalton Hall broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run with 27.5 seconds left to play in the third quarter to make it 36-26.
After the Panther defense stopped the Ricebirds on a fourth-and-9 play on the Heber Springs 11 with 9:59 to play, Heber Springs would pull to within a field goal on an Adam Martin 10-yard touchdown run with 4:19 to go.
But Stuttgart (3-1, 2-0), picked up three first downs on its ensuing possession to kill the clock and preserve the victory.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how they played,” Heber Springs coach Darren Gowen said of his team. “We made mistake after mistake, but we played so hard that we could make up for it.
“The offense played awful in the first half and that’s my fault. I didn’t get them ready to go. But in the second half, we made a few adjustments, the defense kept us in the game and we just didn’t do quite enough to get it done.”
The Panthers rushed for 221 yards on 35 attempts led Blaze Nelson’s 116 yards on 20 carries. Nelson finished with two touchdowns along with Martin, while Hall added another score to go with 54 yards on the ground.
Stuttgart’s David Walker did most of the damage for the Ricebirds. The senior finished with 111 yards rushing on 17 carries with three touchdowns and also added 96 yards on four receptions.
“He is a difference maker,” Gowen said of Walker. “A guy that can run like that, jump over people, at 240 pounds that just tough. Our young men, they just look so small compared to him but they just got after him all night long.”
Heber Springs fell to 1-4 overall with the loss and 1-1 in the conference. The Panthers will look to bounce back on Friday when they travel to Mustang Mountain in North Little Rock to tangle with Central Arkansas Christian. The Mustangs are 2-0 in conference play, joining Stuttgart as the only two remaining teams unbeaten in the 4A-2.
“We came up short, but we got after it, and that’s all I can ask them to do,” Gowen said. “We still have a lot of football left to go. We’ll get back to work and go see what we can do.”
SLOW START
It didn’t take long for Stuttgart to get on the board. The Ricebirds took the opening kickoff and moved the ball from their own 37 and jumped out on top, 7-0, with 9:26 left to playing in the opening quarter. A big two-play sequence did in the Panthers on the drive. On third-and-9 from the Heber Springs 47, Stuttgart quarterback Tim Johnson connected with Davion Grayham to push the ball to the Panther 24. On the next play, a personal foul penalty against the Panthers moved the ball to the Heber Springs 13 where Walker would take the next two carries before powering his way from the 1 to score.
On Heber Springs’ first possession of the contest, Nelson carried 12 yards to give the Panthers a first down. Three plays later, the Panthers picked up another first down on a third-and-4 play, but a fumble gave the ball back to the Ricebirds with 6:34 to play in the first quarter.
But the Panther defense stiffened, forcing a three-and-out and a Stuttgart punt from its own 45. Walker got off a nice kick for the Ricebirds and got a friendly roll. When it the ball finally stopped, it was on the Heber Springs 5.
BACKWARDS PASS
On the first play from scrimmage, Martin dropped back to the 1 and attempted to hook up with Rocky Finney in the end zone for a double pass, but the ball was off target and rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety to make it 9-0 Stuttgart with 5:19 to play.
Stuttgart took the free kick from the Panthers and put together an 11-play drive that put the ball on the Panther 18, but Johnson coughed up the football and Matthew Cook pounced on the ball for Heber Springs on its own 27 with 16 seconds left in the opening quarter.
MIRROR DRIVES
The two teams almost mirrored each other in the second quarter.
First it was the Panthers. Heber Springs moved the ball from its own 27 to the Stuttgart 26 as Martin connected with Tri Johnson first for a 16-yard completion and then three plays later with Nelson on a 14-yard strike. But the drive stalled and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.
Stuttgart followed by getting a big pass play on second-and-25 from its own 11 as Johnson hit Walker for a short pass and Walker did the rest for a 45-yard gain. Fate Berry brought down Walker on a touchdown-saving tackle. The Ricebirds reached the Panther 22 before they too stalled and turned the ball over downs.
Both teams followed with three-and-out possessions and Heber Springs took over on its own 9 with 1:46 to play in the first half. On the first play of the drive, the Panthers coughed up the football and Walker recovered it for Stuttgart on the Heber Springs 2. Walker would then follow with a 2-yard run to make it 16-0 with 1:31 to go before halftime.
CHASING POINTS
Heber Springs would respond. After Finney picked up 19 yards on the ensuing return, the Panthers would get another big play from the senior. He caught a short pass from Martin, made a Ricebird defender miss and raced 44 yards before being run out of bounds at the Stuttgart 12. Four plays later, Martin would keep the ball and plunge in from the 3. The Panthers went for two, but were stopped and trailed 16-6 with 32.9 seconds left to play in the first half.
“We probably chased some points early that I shouldn’t have and been down one (near the end of the game), maybe go for two late,” Gowen said. “but it is what is.
“I can’t be more proud of these kids. These kids don’t quit. Panthers don’t quit.”
NOT LOOKING GOOD
The second half didn’t start off well for the Panthers.
First, the Stuttgart defense forced Heber Springs to a three-and-out on the Panthers first possession. Then, it was Walker again. After taking over near midfield after the punt, the senior ran through tacklers and raced 52 yards on the Ricebirds second play from scrimmage in the second half to give Stuttgart a 22-6 lead with 9:39 to play in the third. The kick attempt was no good for Stuttgart.
“PANTHERS DON’T QUIT”
Heber Springs took the kickoff from its own 38, marched down field and responded. On fourth-and-1 from the Panther 47, Martin kept the ball on quarterback sneak to move the chains. Back-to-back first downs followed for Heber Springs as Martin connected with Berry for an 11-yard gain and Nelson ran for 10 more yards. Two plays, Martin found Johnson for a 16-yard completion and Nelson finished off the drive with a 7-yard run with 7:09 to play in the quarter to make it 22-12. The two-point conversion was no good.
DOWN BY 17
The Ricebirds responded with a nice drive of their own. Taking over on its own 37, Stuttgart moved the ball to the Panther 11, thanks in part to a 33-yard run by Walker. On third-and-3 at the 11, Samuel Hilborn and Tanner Tillman held Quin Nelson to a two-yard gain to force a fourth-and-1. But Nelson would follow with an eight-yard run and then punch it into the end zone one play later to give Stuttgart a 29-12 advantage with 3:01 to play in the third.
WILD THREE MINUTES
It took the Panthers 23 seconds to respond to the Ricebirds. After a 30-yard kickoff return by Nelson, Heber Springs took over on its own 47. From there, Nelson showed he wasn’t finished taking the handoff and racing 47 yards for the score to make it 29-19 after the Julian Cameron PAT kick.
However, two plays and 16 seconds later, the Ricebirds were back up by 17 points. First Derrick Amos ran for 21 and then Johnson connected with Grayham for a 22-yard touchdown pass to make it 36-19 at the 2:22 mark of the third.
After a 15-yard kickoff return and a six-yard run by Nelson, Martin would connect with Johnson for seven yards and a first down. Two plays later, Hall would take the ball, find a seam and outrace a pair of Ricebird defenders to make a 36-26 game with 27.5 seconds left to play in the quarter.
BIG DRIVE, BIG HIT
After the Ricebirds turned the ball over on downs, Heber Springs took over on its own 11 with 9:59 to play. Martin would find Finney for a first-down catch before Nelson would carry the ball four straight times for 28 yards and a pair of first downs.
A penalty against the Panthers pushed the ball back five yards. Martin would then scramble for a 12-yard gain before stepping out of bounds, but a late hit against Stuttgart would tack on 15 more yards. Another personal foul penalty against the Ricebirds would push the ball to the Stuttgart 12. Two plays later, Martin would find paydirt after scrambling to his right, reversing field to his left for the 10-yard touchdown run to make it 36-33 with 4:19 to play.
TIME KILLERS
The Panthers needed the ball back, but Stuttgart didn’t oblige. On first down, Walker was stopped for a one-yard loss by Berry and Hall. But on the next play, Johnson dumped a pass to Walker, who gained 28 yards and a first down.
Walker again did in Heber Springs on third-and-2 with a three-yard run and another first down.
Three plays later, and the Panthers out of timeouts, Walker carried for five more yards on a third-and-3 to seal the win for the Ricebirds.
BY THE NUMBERS
TEAM
First Downs: Heber Springs 19, Stuttgart 22
Third-Down Percentage: Heber Springs 4-8, Stuttgart 4-12
Fourth-Down Percentage: Heber Springs 1-2, Stuttgart 2-4
Rushing Att.-Yards-Avg: Heber Springs 35-221-6.3, Stuttgart 48-191-4.0
Passing Att.-Comp.-Yards-Int: Heber Springs 11-18-147-0, Stuttgart 12-23-200-0
Total Offense: Heber Springs 368, Stuttgart 391
Sacks-Yards: Heber Springs 0-0, Stuttgart 0-0
Penalties-Yards: Heber Springs 5-35, Stuttgart 5-50
Fumbles-Lost: Heber Springs 3-3, Stuttgart 2-1
Punts-Avg.: Heber Springs 2-27.5, Stuttgart 2-44.5
INDIVIDUAL
Rushing: Heber Springs – Heber Springs, Blaze Nelson 20-116-2, Adam Martin 10-46-2, Dalton Hall 4-54-1, Landon Johnson 1-5. Stuttgart, David Walker 17-111-3, Quin Nelson 12-24-1, Derrick Amos 9-59, Tim Johnson 5-3, Team 3-(-14), Tyion Berry 1-7, Kobe Robinson 1-1.
Passing: Heber Springs – Adam Martin 11-17 147 0-0, Rocky Finney 0-1 0 0-0. Stuttgart: Tim Johnson 11-22 169 1-0, Mitchell Stovesand 1-1 31 0-0.
Receiving: Heber Springs – Tri Johnson 5-64, Rocky Finney 2-54, Blaze Nelson 1-14, Fate Berry 1-11, Dalton Hall 1-4, Matthew Cook 1-0. Stuttgart – David Walker 4-96, Davion Grayham 4-77-1, John Hoskyn 1-15, Quin Nelson 1-7, Rhett Bohanon 1-5, Derrick Amos 1-0.
September 27, 2019
By PHILIP SEATON
HEBER SPRINGS – It wasn’t the start to conference play that Heber Springs had hoped for on Friday night at Panther Stadium as Lonoke came away with a 32-12 victory.
The loss dropped Heber Springs to 0-4 on the season for the first time since 2013 in Steve Janski’s final season at the helm. That was also the last time the Panthers had lost to the Jackrabbits until Friday night.
Heber Springs won the coin toss and elected to defer. The Panthers attempted an onside kick, but Lonoke recovered the ball. Lonoke reached the Panther 15 before settling on a 32-yard field goal by Diego Contraras to make it 3-0 with 9:03 left in the first quarter.
After a three-and-out by Heber Springs, Lonoke got the ball at the Panther 48, thanks in part to a 24-yard punt.
Lonoke’s Spencer Pepper connected with Anthony Parks for a 35-yard completion. Despite a block in the back penalty that cost the Rabbits 10 yards, two plays later Parks would race in from nine yards out with 7:34. After an offsides penalty on the PAT attempt, Lonoke went for two-points and converted to make it 11-0.
The teams traded possessions before the Panthers got on the board with an eight-play, 51-yard drive with 10:46 left in the half as Landon Johnson rambled in from the six (see video below). A bad snap on the PAT attempt left the score 11-6.
The two teams couldn’t muster much offense the rest of the quarter until Lonoke took over on its own 42 with 1:49 to play before the half. Five plays later, Pepper found Parks for a 35-yard scoring strike with 41.8 seconds left in the half to make it 18-6.
Disaster almost struck in the final seconds as the Panthers fumbled in the ensuing kickoff, but a 44-yard field-goal attempt at the end of the quarter was no good.
The Rabbits went up 25-6 with 8:44 left in the third as Pepper ran 25 yard for a score.
Heber Springs gave themselves hope with 3:55 left in the third when Adam Martin connected with tight end Fate Berry across the middle. Berry then raced 45 yards to make it 25-12. The PAT kick was no good. It was the Panthers first PAT kick miss since the 2016 season.
Heber Springs couldn’t muster any significant threat the rest of the way as Lonoke tacked on a touchdown with 4:59 to play.
NOTES
COIN TOSS: Randy Rainwater, c0-host of Drive-Time Sports on KABZ, 103.7 FM, in Little Rock, broadcast his 3 to 7 p.m. show on Friday from Panther Stadium as part of his Friday “Sonic Blast” series. Rainwater tossed the coin in pregame. The Panthers won the toss but failed to recover the onside-kick attempt.
STATE RECORD: Though one does not currently exist in the Arkansas Activities Association’s State Record Book, Heber Springs has created one in the team category — most consecutive point after touchdown (PAT) kicks without miss. Julian Cameron started the streak in 2016 and continued until last season with 100 consecutive successful kicks (a career state record) before graduating. Graduated senior Seth Dickeson also connected on two kicks last season for the Panthers. This season, senior Jackson Harrod was perfect on his first 13 attempts before missing on a third-quarter kick to end the streak with 115 for the Panthers.
SCORING
Lonoke (1-0, 2-2) 11 7 7 7 - 32 Heber Springs (0-1, 0-4) 0 6 6 0 - 12 FIRST QUARTER Lonoke - Diego Contreras 32-yard field goal, 9:03 Lonoke - Anthony Parks 9-yard run (Spencer Pepper to Chris Lucas pass), 7:34 SECOND QUARTER Heber Springs - Landon Johnson 6-yard rn (Pass Failed), 10:46 Lonoke - Pepper to Parks 35-yard pass (Contreras kick), 41.8 THIRD QUARTER Lonoke - Pepper 25-yard run (Contreras kick), 8:44 Heber Springs - Adam Martin to Fate Berry 45-yard pass (Kick failed), 3:55 FOURTH QUARTER Lonoke - Pepper to Lucas 24-yard pass (Contreras kick), 4:59
TEAM STATS
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 8, Lonoke 7 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 4, Lonoke 7 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 1, Lonoke 0 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 13, Lonoke 14 Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/16, Lonoke 3/13 Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/8, Lonoke 2/4 Red-Zone Possessions: Heber Springs 1/2, Lonoke 3/4 Time of Possession: Heber Springs 23:40, Lonoke 24:20 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 3/2, Lonoke 1/1 Turnovers: Heber Springs 3, Lonoke 1 Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 6, Lonoke 0 Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 9/41, Lonoke 11/95 Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 65/292/4.5, Lonoke 63/355/5.6 Rushing: Heber Springs 36/170/4.7, Lonoke 46/188/4 Passing: Heber Springs 11/29-122-1/1, Lonoke 10/17-167-2/0 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 3/17, Lonoke 1/9 Punts: Heber Springs 4/159/39.8, Lonoke 4/145/36.3 Punts Inside 20: Heber Springs 1, Lonoke 1
INDIVIDUAL STATS
OFFENSE RUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 15/68/4.5, Julio Rubio 15/56/3.7, Landon Johnson 6/46/7.7. Lonoke, Spencer Pepper 24/98/4.1, Anthony Parks 18/88/4.9, Team 2/(-13)/-6.5, Brayden Coble 2/15/7.5. RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1). RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (2). Lonoke, Spencer Pepper (1), Anthony Parks (1). RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (2), Landon Johnson (2), Julio Rubio (1). Lonoke, Spencer Pepper (5), Anthony Parks (3), Bradyen Coble (1). PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 11/29-122-1/1. Lonoke, Spencer Pepper 10/17-167-2/0. RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 4/36, Fate Berry 3/70, Landon Johnson 2/6, Tri Johnson 1/9, Julio Rubio 1/1. Lonoke, Anthony Parks 5/114, Chris Lucas 2/24, Markiel White 2/15, Chaston Dockery 1/14. RECEPTIONS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Fate Berry (1) RECEPTIONS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Fate Berry (1). Lonoke, Anthony Parks (2). RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Fate Berry (2). Lonoke, Anthony Parks (3). TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 190, Julio Rubio 56, Landon Johnson 46. Lonoke, Spencer Pepper 265, Anthony Parks 88, Brayden Coble 15, Team (-13). PUNT RETURNS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/3, Tri Johnson 1/(-3). Lonoke, Anthony Parks 1/11. KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 2/32, Tri Johnson 1/16, Diego Rubio 1/13, Matthew Cook 1/10, Harley Bresnahan 1/6. Lonoke, Romel Rankin 1/34, Markiel White 1/9. FUMBLE RETURNS: None INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Lonoke, Riley Miller 1/30. ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 89, Fate Berry 70, Adam Martin 68, Landon Johnson 52, Nathan McKee 39, Tri Johnson 22, Diego Rubio 13, Matthew Cook 10, Harley Bresnahan 6. Lonoke, Anthony Parks 213, Spencer Pepper 98, Romel Rankin 34, Riley Miller 30, Chris Lucas 24, Markiel White 24, Brayden Coble 15, Chaston Dockery 14, Team (-13). DEFENSE TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 12/3/15, Landon Johnson 5/3/8, Lawrence Baureis 5/2/7, Matthew Cook 6/1/7, Julio Rubio 5/1/6, Hunter Kent 3/3/6, Diego Rubio 1/3/4, Kaden Hughes 4/0/4, Harley Bresnahan 2/1/3, Nathan McKee 2/1/3, Tri Johnson 1/1/2, Dalton McCollum 2/0/2, Nathan Hitchcock 2/0/2, Jackson West 1/0/1. Lonoke, Dayton Smith 10/5/15, Chris Lucas 8/1/9, Brayden Coble 8/1/9, Dalynn Waits 8/0/8, Anderson Fletcher 5/1/6, Romel Rankin 1/4/5, John Lawson 4/1/5, Markiel White 0/3/3, Riley Miller 1/2/3, Tyler Davis 2/1/3, Carson Devinney 2/0/2, Anthony Parks 2/0/2, Spencer Pepper 0/1/1, Cody Garringer 0/1/1, Ayden Rowton 0/1/1. TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Fate Berry 5, Landon Johnson 4, Diego Rubio 2, Kaden Hughes 2, Julio Rubio 1, Matthew Cook 1. Lonoke, Dayton Smith 2, John Lawson 2, Dalynn Waits 1. SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Fate Berry .5/9, Julio Rubio .5/9. Lonoke, John Lawson 2/10, Dalynn Waits 1/7. INTERCEPTIONS: Lonoke, Riley Miller FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1. Lonoke, Carson Devinney 1, Dalynn Waits 1. PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 4/159/39.8. Lonoke, Peyton Lamb 2/75/37.5, Markiel White 2/70/35. PUNTS INSIDE 20: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1). Lonoke, Peyton Lamb (1). FIELD GOALS: Lonoke, Diego Contreras, Made: 32. Missed: 44, 43
LAST SEASON
Lonoke, elements can’t stop Panthers in 4A-2 opener
LAST WEEK
Panthers fall in heartbreaker to Harding Academy
FOR LONOKE: First-year Lonoke coach Harry Wright got his first win last week as the Jackrabbits (1-2) rallied to down Newport, 49-40. The Jackrabbits trailed Newport, 34-21, in the third quarter before rallying to claim the win. Lonoke quarterback Spencer Pepper was 11 of 20 passing for 326 yards and four touchdowns, including a 91-yarder to Anthony Parks. Parks also rushed for 73 yards on 12 attempts while Pepper gained 48 yards on 17 carries.
CONFERENCE SCOREBOARD WEEK 3
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE WEEK 4
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX
GAME NOTES
The Series: Lonoke leads the all-time series, 13-10
The two teams first meet in 1931, a 25-0 victory by the Jackrabbits in Lonoke. The schools would play eight times between 1931 and 1942 with the Panthers lone victory coming in 1933, 19-0. The two teams wouldn’t meet again for almost 50 years when the two schools were both part of the 5AA-North conference for the 1991-92 cycle with the Jackrabbits winning both of those conference contests. Fourteen years later in 2006, Heber Springs and Lonoke would again be placed in the same conference (the 4A-2). Since 2006, the Panthers have won nine out of 13 contests, including five straight in the series.
SONIC BLAST: Randy Rainwater from KABZ 103.7 FM in Little Rock will be in Heber Springs broadcasting his statewide radio call-in show, “Drive-Time Sports” from 3 to 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium.
NONCONFERENCE WOES/CONFERENCE JOYS: Heber Springs has gone 1-11 in nonconference play the past four seasons, but are 22-6 in the 4A-2 over the same stretch, including a share of two conference titles and a second-place finish last season.
FIREWORKS: First Arkansas Bank and Trust has been sponsoring the Panther Stadium fireworks that are fired off after each Panther touchdown.
SAME RECORD/DIFFERENT YEAR: Last season, Heber Springs and Lonoke both entered conference play as the same records they sport this season, 0-3 for the Panthers and 1-2 for the Jackrabbits.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: FATE BERRY
SEASON STATS AFTER WEEK 3
Heber Springs 28 14 7 48 - 97 (32.3) Opponent 14 28 35 36 - 113 (37.7) TEAM First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 46, Opponent 28 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 18, Opponent 28 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 1, Opponent 4 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 65, Opponent 61 Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 28/41 (68.3), Opponent 9/22 (40.9) Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 7/10 (70), Opponent 1 /2 (50) Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 8/8 (8 tds), Opponent 11/12 (11 tds) Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 5/4, Opponent 4/0 Turnovers: Heber Springs 7, Opponent 1 Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 7, Opponent 21 Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 19/146, Opponent 15/116 Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 202/1340/6.6, Opponent 146/1035/7.1 Rushing: Heber Springs 153/872/5.7, Opponent 90/421/4.7 Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 290.7, Opponent 140.3 Passing: Heber Springs 30/49-467-3/2, Opponent 43/68-594-8/1 Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 155.7, Opponent 198 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 7/51, Opponent 6/24 Punts: Heber Springs 5/210/42, Opponent 9/301/33.4 INDIVIDUAL OFFENSE RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Adam Martin 70/397/5.7/132.3/2, Julio Rubio 67/341/5.1/113.7/7, Landon Johnson 20/76/3.8/25.3/2, Nathan McKee 1/6/6/2/0. BIG CAT RUNS (50+): Adam, Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1 RUNS OF 40+: Adam Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1 RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam Martin 1 RUNS OF 20+: Adam Martin 4, Julio Rubio 3 RUNS OF 10+: Adam Martin 12, Julio Rubio 9, Landon Johnson 1. 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Adam Martin 3, Julio Rubio 2 PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 30/49-467-3/2 250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1 RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Julio Rubio 8/121/15.1, Matthew Cook 8/86/10.8, Hunter Kent 4/32/8, Nathan McKee 3/39/13/1, Fate Berry 3/30/10, Tri Johnson 3/141/47/2, Landon Johnson 1/8/8 100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1 TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 864/288, Julio Rubio 341/113.7, Landon Johnson 76/25.3, Nathan McKee 6/2 KICKOFF RETURNS: Hunter Kent 3/46/15.3, Matthew Cook 3/52/17.3, Tri Johnson 3/37/12.3, Levy Phillips 2/14/7, Julio Rubio 1/12/12, Nathan McKee 1/11/11, Jackson West 1/1, Tristan Thissen 1/0. PUNT RETURNS: None INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Dalton McCollum 1/4 FUMBLE RETURNS: None ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 474/158, Adam Martin 397/132.3, Tri Johnson 178/89, Matthew Cook 138/46, Landon Johnson 84/28, Hunter Kent 78/26, Nathan McKee 56/18.7, Fate Berry 30/10, Levy Phillips 14/4.7, Dalton McCollum 4/1.3, Jackson West 1/.3 DEFENSE TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 20/8/28, Levy Phillips 10/7/17, Landon Johnson 7/6/13, Kaden Hughes 6/5/11, Hunter Kent 5/5/10, Lawrence Baureis 4/6/10, Tri Johnson 5/4/9, Matthew Cook 6/2/8, Harley Bresnahan 4/2/6, Dalton McCollum 2/4/6, Jackson West 3/2/5, Nathan McKee 1/1/2, Trent Barnes 1/1/2, Preston Jones 1/1/2, Devon Doxey 2/0/2, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1, Tristan Thissen 0/1/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1. TACKLES FOR LOSS: Landon Johnson 3.5, Fate Berry 3, Kaden Hughes 2.5, Levy Phillips 2, Tri Johnson 1, Harley Bresnahan 1. SACKS/YARDS LOST: Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Kaden Hughes 1/ 4, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Tri Johnson 2/ 18, Fate Berry 2/ 9 INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1 FUMBLE RECOVERIES: None PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 5/210/42/0 SCORING: Julio Rubio 54 (9 tds), Jackson Harrod 13 (13-13 PAT), Landon Johnson 12 (2 tds), Adam Martin 12 (2 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Nathan McKee 6 (1 td)
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: LANDON JOHNSON
MARKEDTIME.COM PANTHER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
WEEK 3 vs. HARDING ACADEMY
OFFENSE – Tri Johnson. DEFENSE – Dalton McCollum
WEEK 2 vs. GREENBRIER
OFFENSE – Harley Hannah. DEFENSE – Levy Phillips
WEEK 1 vs. CLINTON
OFFENSE – Adam Martin and Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Fate Berry
JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL
Junior Panthers fall to Lonoke
SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL
PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK
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September 26, 2019
LONOKE – The Heber Springs Junior Panthers dropped a 34-0 decision to Lonoke Thursday night.
Heber Springs (0-3) did threaten to score in the third quarter when quarterback Xander Lindley raced 50 yards before being tackled at the Lonoke 5, but a first-down penalty put the Panthers in a hole and they were not able to punch the ball into the end zone (video sequence below).
Heber Springs will play its home opener on Thursday when they host Stuttgart at 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium.
September 26, 2019
LONOKE – The Heber Springs Seventh-Grade football team improved to 3-0 on the season with an 18-0 victory over Lonoke on Thursday.
The Panthers scored on the last play of the first half as Liam Buffalo connected with Bryce Seigrest for a 53-yard touchdown pass.
Heber Springs started the second half as the ended the first one as Buffalo found Ty West on the first play from scrimmage with a 70-yard touchdown pass.
The Panthers added another touchdown to set the score as Buffalo ran 41 yards for a score with 2:18 to play.
Heber Springs will play its home opener on Thursday when they host Stuttgart at Panther Stadium at 5:30 p.m.
September 21, 2018
By PHILIP SEATON
LONOKE – It took two days and two trips to Lonoke, but the Heber Springs Panthers were finally able to claim a victory.
Lightning forced the postponement of the game on Friday night with Lonoke leading 14-7 with 11:14 to play in the third quarter. When play was resumed at 2 p.m. Saturday in a heavy downpour, Heber Springs scored 21 unanswered in the third quarter and the defense held on in the fourth as the Panthers claimed a 28-14 the win.
More importantly for coach Darren Gowen’s squad, the Panthers first win came in the 4A-2 conference opener for both schools.
The Panthers have only one nonconference victory in the past three seasons, but Heber Springs bounced back and has won a share of the 4A-2 conference crown each of the past two seasons.
“We are 1-0 in conference,” Gowen said after the win on Saturday. “I know I get a lot of flack for this, and nonconference games do matter, but they get us ready to play games like this (conference games).”
Blaze Nelson finished the game with 75 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Adam Martin added 55 yards on the ground and another score.
Heber Springs (1-3, 1-0) finished with 246 yards of total offense in the contest while Lonoke (1-3, 0-1) had 199. But in the third quarter, the Panthers held the Jackrabbits to minus-6 rushing yards on 16 attempts, and 16 rushing yards on 24 attempts in the second half.
“The defense made some adjustments at halftime, and a little bit overnight, and they played lights out,” Gowen said. “Dalton Hall really got after it, and Fate (Berry) and Julio (Rubio) were the three without watching any film that really stood out to me.”
Heber Springs will return to Panther Stadium Friday night at 7 p.m. when they face conference favorite Stuttgart. The Ricebirds defeated Southside Batesville, 35-15, Friday night.
SLOW START
After Lonoke recovered the Panthers onside-kick attempt on their own 42, it didn’t take long for the Jackrabitts to hop into the end zone. On the first play from scrimmage, Lonoke quarterback Braidon Bryant took the ball on a keeper, got a couple of good blocks downfield and raced untouched 58 yards to give Lonoke at 7-0 advantage just 12 seconds into the contest.
Disaster struck for Heber Springs on the ensuing kickoff as Lonoke attempted and recovered an onside kick at the Panther 44.
“I thought we came out a little flat on Friday night,” Gowen said. “I don’t know anything sometimes. I told my guys Friday, we need to stay in as much routine as possible.
“We get here and play flat, and then today (Saturday) there is no routine … we come out and play like that. I guess routine doesn’t matter as much anymore like it used to back when I was playing.”
RUBIO FORCES FUMBLE
The Jackrabbits had reached the Panther 36 before Rubio forced a fumble that Hall recovered for Heber Springs at the 9:22 mark of the first quarter to give the Panthers their first possession of the contest.
After relying on the running game for the most part during the nonconference, the Panthers first possession was nothing but the hurry-up passing game. Adam Martin connected with Matthew Cook on an 11-yard pass completion after three Lonoke defenders tipped the ball into Cook’s arms. That play moved the ball into Jackrabbit territory at the 43.
A 12-yard pass completion from Martin to Seth Dickeson was good enough for anther Panther first down at the Lonoke 24.
The drive appeared to stall at the Lonoke 18 on fourth down after false penalty cost the Heber Springs five yards on a fourth-and-4 play attempt. But on the next play, Martin found Cook up the middle for the 23-yard scoring strike. Julian Cameron’s PAT kick made it 7-7 with 6:58 to play in the quarter.
COSTLY TURNOVER
The team traded possessions before Lonoke recovered a Panther fumble at the Heber Springs 22 late in the quarter. Three plays later, and on the first play of the second quarter, Davonta Adams rushed 11 yards to give the Jackrabbits a 14-7 advantage.
SCORING CHANCE
The teams again traded possession before the Panther defense forced Lonoke to a three-and-out from their own 10. A 25-yard punt gave Heber Springs excellent field position at the Jackrabbit 35 with 2:37 left in the half.
On third-and-5, Rocky Finney carried for 10-yard gain on an end-around play, but the drive fizzled at the Lonoke 20 forcing a 37-yard field-goal attempt by Cameron with 38 seconds left in the half. Cameron’s kick sailed right and the Jackrabbits killed the clock to end the half.
BREWING STORM
The forecasters had called for rain on Friday and all weekend, and though the radar was ominous in the first half the rain held off for the most part. At halftime, lightning could be seen at a distance after both bands performed, but it was not close enough (10 miles within the stadium) to stop the start of the second half.
So the third quarter kicked off with the Panthers recovering the onside-kick attempt on their own 48. After a seven-yard run by Nelson, Martin connected with Finney on an apparent 30-yard pass completion, but an illegal-man downfield penalty wiped out the completion and the gain. However, Finney was hit out of bounds giving the Panthers a first-and-10 from the Lonoke 35 with 11:14 to play in the third.
A lightning strike was close enough after that play to suspend the game as Lonoke headed to its lockerroom and the Panthers to a safe room in the school. The rain soon followed as the game continued to be delayed for just over an hour.
Finally, officials, coaches and administrators met at midfield after attempting to re-start the game and determined to postpone it until Saturday.
For Gowen, he wanted to continue to play, “I thought we had the momentum and we were fixing to do this (on Saturday).”
DOING THIS
For the first time in school history, the Panthers played in a game that was started on one day and finished on the next.
Play resumed on Saturday at 2 p.m. in a heavy downpour with the Panthers taking over on the Lonoke 35. A first-down run by Martin for 10 yards on the third play was followed by a 15-yard run by Nelson to push the ball to the Lonoke 5. From there, Martin carried it over with 8:29 left in the quarter to tie things up at 14-all.
“Just proud that we continued that momentum (from Friday night),” McGowen said. “I could tell in the lockerrom just sitting around waiting that they were ready to go play, and they were excited.
“We came out just about 20 minutes before the game started and the energy was just incredible.”
KEEPING IT GOING
The two teams traded possessions before Lonoke took over on its own 22 with 5:39 to play in the third quarter. After Adams carried for a two-yard gain, Nelson forced a fumble and the Panthers recovered it on the 24.
On the first play, Nelson ran into a pile of Lonoke defenders spun free and raced 24 yards to give Heber Springs its first lead of the game at 21-14.
“When you’ve got a back like Blaze, you (offensive line) just have to get in their way in a little bit and he’s going to make things happen,” Gowen said. “Our offensive line does a good job of continuing their blocks, and he just stays there and keeps moving.
“He’s got such great vision. He just spins off it and uses his incredible speed.”
HIGH SNAP
The Panther defense forced at three-and-out on the Lonoke’s ensuing possession before Heber Springs caught another break in the driving rain. A high snap on the punt attempt from the Lonoke 24 was recovered by the punter, but the Panthers were in business again from the Jackrabbit 9.
Two players later, Martin walked into the end zone untouched with 3:31 to play in the third quarter. Julian Cameron added the PAT kick and the Panthers led 28-14.
“Adam did a great job holding and Julian kicking in these conditions,” Gowen said. “We were three-for-three on extra points in this nasty weather, and one of those was almost off the ground and he still made it. That’s an awesome weapon to have.”
HOLDING ON
The Panther offense took advantage of opportunities in the third quarter to scored 21 unanswered points.
But after that, it was the Panther defense that held Lonoke out of the end zone.
Lonoke had moved to the Panther 36 late in the third quarter before Rubio sacked Bryant for a 13-yard loss on third down forcing a punt.
After a Panther turnover on the ensuing play gave the Jackrabbits the ball at the Panther 29, the defense again rose to the occasion forcing a turnover on downs highlighted by Berry and Cook bringing down Bryant for a five-yard loss on a third-and-5 play.
Heber Springs went three-and-out before Lonoke marched from their own 30 the Panther 24, thanks in part to a 30-yard pass completion from Dayton Smith to Shawn Lake. But a fourth-down pass attempt by Smith was broken up by Berry giving the Panthers the ball back with 5:03 to play.
Hall carried the ball for Heber Springs as the Panthers moved from their own 24 to the 48, but the drive would stall forcing a Martin punt.
BIG PICK
After a Lonoke moved into Panther territory with 1:22 to play, Smith heaved a pass into the end zone that Landon Johnson took away from the receiver to come up with the interception. The interception preserved the Panthers 14-win, giving Heber Springs 13 conference points (points used to determine tie-breakers in postseason seeding).
“I don’t know if you would call that a pick or whatever, because he just took the ball away as he was coming down,” Gowen said, “so that was a great job.”
BY THE NUMBERS
TEAM
First Downs: Heber Springs 12, Lonoke 12
Third-Down Percentage: Heber Springs 4-14, Lonoke 1-12
Fourth-Down Percentage: Heber Springs 1-2, Lonoke 1-4
Rushing Att-Yards-Avg: Heber Springs 40-154-3.9; Lonoke 43-136-3.2
Passing Comp-Att-Yards-Int: Heber Springs 10-20-92-0; Lonoke 5-12-76-1
Total Offense: Heber Springs 246, Lonoke 199
Sacks-Yards: Heber Springs 1-13, Lonoke 0-0
Penalties-Yards: Heber Springs 6-55, Lonoke 7-55
Fumbles-Lost: Heber Springs 3-2, Lonoke 3-2
Punts-Avg: Heber Springs 6-31, Lonoke 6-28.7
INDIVIDUAL
Rushing: Heber Springs – Blaze Nelson 23-75-2, Adam Martin 10-55-1, Dalton Hall 4-24, Team 2-(-10), Rocky Finney 1-10. Lonoke – Davonta Adams 19-36-1, Anthony Parks 10-18, Braidon Bryant 9-81-1, Dayton Smith 2-1, Shawn Lake 1-10, Brayden Coble 1-8, Team 1-(-15).
Passing: Heber Springs – Adam Martin 10-20-92-1-0. Lonoke – Braidon Bryant 3-6-27-0-0, Dayton Smith 2-6-49-0-1.
Receiving: Heber Springs – Matthew Cook 2-38-1, Tri Johnson 2-20, Seth Dickeson 2-16, Rocky Finney 2-9, Blaze Nelson 2-9. Lonoke – Davonta Adams 2-12, Shawn Lake 1-28, Dalton Smith 1-21, Anthony Parks 1-15.
September 20, 2019
By PHILIP SEATON
HEBER SPRINGS – It was a nonconference slate of a tale of 2-point conversions.
In the opener, Heber Springs failed to convert a 2-point conversion in the final seconds to Clinton and dropped a 28-27 contest. Friday night, Harding Academy (3-0) converted a 2-point conversion with 17.9 seconds left to hand Heber Springs a 50-49 setback.
Heber Springs has started the season 0-3 three out of the past four seasons, including this season, but rebounded in conference play to go 6-1 in conference play in two of those years. The Panthers will open 4A-4 play Friday night at Panther Stadium against Lonoke (1-2).
Against Harding Academy, the fourth quarter turned into an offensive shootout with the two teams trading touchdowns.
Tied at 28-all going into the final stanza, Heber Springs struck first in the quarter with an impressive 15-play, 73-yard drive that consumed the final 3:03 of the third quarter and 2:18 of the fourth.
The Panthers were 16 out of 18 on third-down conversions on the night, including four on the drive.
On third-and-11 from the Panther 45, senior Adam Martin connected with Julio Rubio for a 12-yard completion.
Two plays later the Panthers again faced a third-down situation, this time third-and-1 from the Wildcat 34 as Martin, who rushed for 116 yards on the night, kept for a 4-yard gain on the final play of the third quarter.
After an incomplete pass on first down, Rubio picked up five yards on second down.
On third-and-5 from the 25, Martin again found Rubio for a first down.
Back-to-back 3-yard runs by Adam Martin and Landon Johnson moved the ball to the Wildcat 8.
Two plays later, Rubio would punch the ball in from the 1 to give Heber Springs a 35-28 lead with 9:42 to play, after Jackson Harrod kicked the PAT.
Harding Academy struck quickly with a five-play, 56-yard drive that took only 1:32 off the clock as Caden Sipe, who was 22-of-38 for 366 yards and six touchdowns, connected with Ty Dugger for a 23-yard touchdown strike to make 35-all.
The Panthers used a “Big Cat” play to go back on top 42-35 as Martin connected with Tri Johnson, who also had a 59-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. This time the Johnson raced 76-yards for the score with 7:18 left.
The Wildcats needed four plays to tie things up a 42-42 with 6:07 to play as Sipe found Stone Sheffield for a 34-yard touchdown.
Heber Springs responded with an impressive 11-play, 76-yard drive to go up 49-42 which included two third-down conversions.
Facing third-and-7 from the Panther 26, Martin found Fate Berry for an 11-yard completion.
Two players later, it was another third-down for Heber Springs as Martin found Matthew Cook for a 13-yard completion on a third-and-10.
Three players later, Martin found Rubio for a 15-yard completion to move the ball to the Wildcat 24.
Martin followed with a 14-yard run to put the ball on the Wildcat 10.
On the next play, Rubio raced for paydirt to give the Panthers a 49-42 lead with 1:21 to play.
Harding Academy would go on a nine-play, 80-yard, game-winning drive as Sipe connected with Dugger for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Sipe again used his arm on the 2-point conversion, rolling to his right, he found Connor McGaha in endzone with 17.9.
Heber Springs ran out of time as Martin found Rubio for a 22-yard completion and a 29-yard reception on the games final play.
GAME NOTES
MASCOT DEBUT: The Heber Springs cheer team debuted Pablo and Piper Panther against Harding Academy for their first football game. The duo had made their first appearance at the volleyball match on Tuesday against Joe T. Robinson at the Panther Den.
WELCOME BACK: Record-setting kicker Julian Cameron was an attendance Friday night. Cameron graduated last spring after setting the state record for most consecutive PAT kicks made without a miss. He is kicking this season for Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
BIG NUMBERS: The two teams combined for more than a thousand yards of total offense. Heber Springs had a season high 603 yards on the night.
WELCOME BACK: After missing last week against Greenbrier for concussion protocol following a non-football injury, senior all-conference performer Tri Johnson returned in a big way with two touchdown receptions and a sack on defense.
BIG CATS: Heber Springs had a season-high three “Big Cat” plays (plays of 50 yards or more) against Harding Academy. Adam Martin was involved with all three. The first was a 68-yard run by Martin to put Heber Springs up 14-0 with 2:17 left in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Martin connected with Tri Johnson for a 59-yard touchdown reception and a 76-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter.
FIRST TURNOVER: The Panthers picked-up their first turnover of the season when senior Dalton McCollum took a pass from the Wildcat receiver for the interception. Heber Springs would score on the ensuing drive as Adam Martin found Nathan McKee for a 15-yard touchdown reception.
RED ZONE STOP: Heber Springs picked up its first red zone stop of the season in the second quarter. Opponents had been nine for nine inside the Panther 20 this season before Heber Springs got the second-quarter stop. Harding Academy had reached the Panther 16 before Tri Johnson sacked Caden Sipe for a 15-yard loss on third down forcing a Ryan Fox punt.
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX
SCORING
Harding Academy (3-0) 0 14 14 22 - 50 Heber Springs (0-3) 14 7 7 21 - 49 FIRST QUARTER Heber Springs - Adam Martin to Nathan McKee 15-yard pass (Jackson Harrod kick), 6:22 Heber Springs - Martin 68-yard run (Harrod kick), 2:17 SECOND QUARTER Harding Academy - Caden Sipe to Isaac Miller 34-yard pass (Ben Sloan kick), 4:54 Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 29-yard run (Harrod kick), 3:34 Harding Academy - Sipe to Connor McGaha 11-yard pass (Sloan kick) THIRD QUARTER Harding Academy - Stone Sheffield 33-yard run (Sloan kick), 10:52 Heber Springs - Martin to Tri Johnson 59-yard pass (Harrod kick), 5:05 Harding Academy - Sipe to Ty Dugger 26-yard pass (Sloan kick), 3:03 FOURTH QUARTER Heber Springs - Rubio 1-yard run (Harrod kick), 9:42 Harding Academy - Sipe to Dugger 23-yard pass (Sloan kick), 8:10 Heber Springs - Martin to Tri Johnson 76-yard pass (Harrod kick), 7:18 Harding Academy - Sipe to Sheffield 34-yard pass (Sloan kick), 6:07 Heber Springs - Rubio 10-yard run (Harrod kick), 1:21 Harding Academy - Sipe to Dugger 16-yard pass (Sipe to McGaha pass), 17.9
TEAM STATS
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 12, Harding Academy 5 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 12, Harding Academy 17 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 1, Harding Academy 2 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 25, Harding Academy 24 Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 16/18, Harding Academy 3/7 Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 0/0, Harding Academy 0/0 Red-Zone Possessions: Heber Springs 3/3 (3 TDs), Harding 2/3 (2 TDs) Time of Possession: Heber Springs 30:49, Harding Academy 17:11 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 1/1, Harding Academy 1/0 Turnovers: Heber Springs 1, Harding Academy 1 Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 7, Harding Academy 7 Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 6/45, Harding Academy 3/30 Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 72/613/8.5, Harding Academy 56/486/8.7 Rushing: Heber Springs 47/251/5.3, Harding Academy 18/120/6.7 Passing: Heber Springs 18/25-362-3/0, Harding Academy 22/38-366-6/1 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 2/21, Harding Academy 1/3 Punts: Heber Springs 3/130/43.3, Harding Academy 3/88/29.3 Punts Inside 20: Heber Springs 0, Harding Academy 2
INDIVIDUAL STATS
OFFENSE RUSHING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 27/127/4.7, Adam Martin 17/116/6.8, Landon Johnson 3/8/2.7. Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield 13/107/8.2, Caden Sipe 5/13/2.6. RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1). Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield (1), Caden Sipe (1). RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1), Julio Rubio (1). Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield (2), Caden Sipe (1) RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (3), Adam Martin (2). Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield (4), Caden Sipe (1). PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 18/25-362-3/0. Harding Academy, Caden Sipe 22/38-366-6/1. RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 6/111, Matthew Cook 5/65, Tri Johnson 2/135, Fate Berry 2/23, Nathan McKee 1/15, Landon Johnson 1/8, Hunter Kent 1/5. Harding Academy, Ty Dugger 11/194, Isaac Miller 5/75, Connor McGaha 4/49, Stone Sheffield 1/34, Carter Neal 1/14. RECEPTIONS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2). RECEPTIONS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2) RECEPTIONS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2), Matthew Cook (1). Harding Academy, Ty Dugger (2), Stone Sheffield (1). RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2), Julio Rubio (2), Matthew Cook (1). Harding Academy, Ty Dugger (5), Stone Sheffield (1). TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 478, Julio Rubio 127, Landon Johnson 8. Harding Academy, Caden Side 379, Stone Sheffield 107. PUNT RETURNS: None KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 2/39, Tri Johnson 2/30, Levy Phillips 2/14, Jackson West 1/1, Tristan Thissen 1/0. Harding Academy, Ty Dugger 3/69, Stone Sheffield 2/39, Carter Neal 1/13, Parker Golden 1/13. FUMBLE RETURNS: None INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Heber Springs, Dalton McCollum 1/4 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 238, Tri Johnson 165, Adam Martin 116, Matthew Cook 104, Fate Berry 23, Landon Johnson 16, Nathan McKee 15, Levy Phillips 14, Hunter Kent 5, Dalton McCollum 4, Jackson West 1, Tristan Thissen 0. Harding Academy, Ty Dugger 263, Stone Sheffield 180, Isaac Miller 75, Connor McGaha 49, Carter Neal 27, Parker Golden 13, Caden Sipe 13. DEFENSE TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 4/2/6, Levy Phillips 2/3/5, Tri Johnson 2/2/4, Landon Johnson 2/0/2, Dalton McCollum 0/2/2, Kaden Hughes 2/0/2, Hunter Kent 1/1/2, Nathan McKee 1/1/2, Jackson West 1/1/2, Lawrence Baureis 2/0/2, Tristan Thissen 0/1/1, Devon Doxey 1/0/1, Matthew Cook 1/0/1, Harley Bresnahan 1/0/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1. TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 1.5, Fate Berry 1, Kaden Hughes .5 SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 1/15, Fate Berry 1/6. Harding Academy, Cooper Welch 1/3/ INTERCEPTIONS: Heber Springs, Dalton McCollum 1/4 FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Harding Academy, Team 1/0 PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 3/130/43.3. Harding Academy, Ryan Fox 3/88/29.3 PUNTS INSIDE 20: Harding Academy, Ryan Fox (2).
VIDEO SCENES FROM THE SIDELINES
Opening Coin Toss and Panther Run Out
Heber Springs Cheer and Dance Halftime Show
Heber Springs Band Halftime Show
Heber Springs Halftime Band Jam With Students
PHOTO GAME SCENES
LAST SEASON
Panthers fall in heartbreaker in Searcy.
LAST WEEK
Panthers tumble at Greenbrier, 35-21
CONFERENCE SCOREBOARD WEEK 2
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE WEEK 3
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX ON LAST WEEK, TONIGHT
GAME NOTES
TURNOVERS: Heber Springs is minus five in turnover ratio. The Panthers have yet to pick-up a turnover and have fumbled three times and given up two interceptions.
NONCONFERENCE WOES: Heber Springs has lost five consecutive regular-season nonconference games. The Panthers last regular season nonconference win came on Sept. 15, 2017, at Panther Stadium against Harding Academy, 35-14. Since 2015, Heber Springs is 2-12 in regular-season nonconference games. However, over the stretch the Panthers have went 22-6 in conference play, including 18-3 over the past three seasons.
BIG CAT PLAY: The Panthers recorded their first “Big Cat” play (over 50 yards) last week against Greenbrier when Julio Rubio ran for a 72-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
BACK TO ACTION: Senior receiver Tri Johnson missed last weeks game for concussion protocol. Johnson was injured in a non-football event.
MASCOT DEBUT: The new male and female Panther mascots will make their debut tonight. Pablo and Piper made their debut at Tuesday’s volleyball match at the Panther Den. Try-outs were held this week to determine who gets to wear the costumes on game nights.
SEE YA’ IN WEEK TWO: This will be the sixth year in a row that Heber Springs and Harding Academy have meet in week three, but that will change next year. The Panthers and Wildcats will meet in week 2 beginning in 2020. Dover will be Heber Springs opponent in week 3 in 2020.
COACHES WIVES OF HEBER SPRINGS: TAYLOR COX
THE WILDCATS
Harding Academy sets at 2-0 on the season. The Wildcats opened the season with a convincing 55-20 win over 4A-2 member Bald Knob in week 0. Harding Academy followed that with another convincing win, this time a 47-20 victory Heber Springs coach Will Cox’ alma mater, Highland. Against Bald Knob, the Wildcats exploded with 35 second-quarter points and led 41-20 at the half. Junior quarterback Caden Sipe was 24-of-29 passing for 292 yards and five touchdowns with an interception. On the ground, senior Stone Sheffield rushed 22 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Sipe’s favorite receiving target was junior Ty Dugger, who caught 13 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Jeffrey Mercer finished with 10 total tackles for the Wildcats. In week 1, Harding Academy led Highland, 37-6, at the half. Sipe followed up his week 0 performance with another impressive outing, finishing 18-of-23 passing for 261 yards and five touchdowns. Seniors Connor McGaha and Sheffield each finished with more than 100 yards receiving as four different Wildcat receivers finished with at least three receptions. The Wildcats rushed 17 times for 95 yards as team agains the Rebels with Sheffield finishing with 73 yards and a touchdown.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: HUNTER GRIFFIN
Heber Springs vs. Harding Academy
The Series
Harding Academy leads 31-14
LAST MEETING: 2018 in Searcy, Harding Academy won 29-27
LAST WEEK: Heber Springs lost to Greenbrier, 35-21; Harding Academy was idle
TONIGHT: Friday night’s match-up at Panther Stadium in Heber Springs will be the 46th in the series between Heber Springs and Harding Academy. The two teams first met in 1951. Heber Springs won that contest 33-6. The Panthers won the first two meetings before the Wildcats won three straight.
OLD CONFERENCE FOES: The Panthers and Wildcats played continuously from 1951 until 1969. The two teams were part of the 2B conference from 1951-1968 and part of the 2A-South in 1969.
STATE CHAMPIONS: Harding Academy has won six state titles 1976, 1977, 1983, 2002, 2012 and 2015. The two teams did not meet when the Wildcats won the title in 1976, 1977 and 2002. In 1983, Harding Academy defeated Heber Springs, 19-14. In 2012, Heber Springs led 6-0, but the game was canceled due to weather in the first quarter. In 2015, the Widlcats won 40-12.
HIATUS: From 1995 through 2006, the two teams only meet twice, both games won by Harding Academy in 1998 and 1999. Since the series resumed in 2010, the two teams have played eight completed games with each team winning four times.
SEPTEMBER 20: The two teams have faced each other on this date only once in the series. In 1956, Harding Academy won 33-6 in game played at Searcy.
SHUTOUTS: The Panthers have won three games by shutouts, while the Wildcats have shutout Heber Springs, 13 times. The last shutout in the series came in 1993, a 28-0 win by the Wildcats.
TOUCHDOWN OR LESS: 11 games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less, including last year. There have been no overtime games in the series.
MOST POINTS: The most points scored by the Panthers in series was 49 in 2011 while Harding Academy has scored 46 twice, 1999 and 2016.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: ADAM MARTIN
PANTHER STATS
Heber Springs 14 7 0 27 – 48
Opponent 14 14 21 14 – 63
TEAM
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 34, Opponent 23
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 6, Opponent 11
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Opponent 2
Total First Downs: 40, Opponent 37
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 12/23 (52), Opponent 6/15 (40)
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 7/10 (70), Opponent 1 /2 (50)
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 5/5 (5 tds), Opponent 9/9 (9 tds)
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 4/3, Opponent 3/0
Turnovers: Heber Springs 5, Opponent 0
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Opponent 14
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 13/101, Opponent 12/86
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: 130/737/5.7, Opponent 90/549/6.1
Rushing: Heber Springs 106/621/5.9, Opponent 72/321/4.5
Passing: Heber Springs 12/24-115-0/2, Opponent 21/30-228-2/0
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 5/30, Opponent 5/21
Punts: Heber Springs 2/80/40, Opponent 6/213/35.5
INDIVIDUAL
OFFENSE
RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Adam Martin 53/281/5.3/140.5/1, Julio Rubio 40/214/5.4/107/4, Landon Johnson 17/68/4/34/2, Nathan McKee 1/6/6/3/0.
BIG CAT RUNS (50+): Julio Rubio 1
RUNS OF 40+: Julio Rubio 1
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 2
RUNS OF 20+: Adam Martin 3, Julio Rubio 2
RUNS OF 10+: Adam Martin 10, Julio Rubio 6, Landon Johnson 1.
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 12/24-115-0/2.
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH): Hunter Kent 3/27/9, Matthew Cook 3/21/7, Nathan McKee 2/24/12, Julio Rubio 2/20/10, Fate Berry 1/7/7, Tri Johnson 1/6/6.
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 396/198, Julio Rubio 214/107, Landon Johnson 68/34, Nathan McKee 6/3
KICKOFF RETURNS: Hunter Kent 3/46/15.3, Matthew Cook 1/13/13, Julio Rubio 1/12/12, Nathan McKee 1/11/11, Tri Johnson 1/7/7.
PUNT RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Adam Martin 281/140.5, Julio Rubio 246/123, Hunter Kent 73/36.5, Landon Johnson 68/34, Nathan McKee 41/20.5, Matthew Cook 34/17, Tri Johnson 13/13, Fate Berry 7/3.5.
DEFENSE
TACKLES (SHARED/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 16/6/22, Levy Phillips 8/4/12, Landon Johnson 5/6/11, Kaden Hughes 4/5/9, Hunter Kent 4/4/8, Lawrence Baureis 2/6/8, Matthew Cook 5/2/7, Harley Bresnhan 3/2/5, Dalton McCollum 2/2/4, Jackson West 2/1/3, Trent Barnes 1/1/2, Preston Jones 1/1/2, Devon Doxey 1/0/1, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Kaden Hughes 2, Landon Johnson 2, Fate Berry 2, Levy Phillips 2, Tri Johnson 1, Harley Bresnahan 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Kaden Hughes 1/ 4, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Tri Johnson 1/ 3, Fate Berry 1/ 3
INTERCEPTIONS: None
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: None
SCORING: Julio Rubio 24 (4 tds), Landon Johnson 12 (2 tds), Adam Martin 6 (1 td), Jackson Harrod 6 (6-6 PAT)
MARKEDTIME.COM PANTHERS OF THE WEEK
WEEK 1 vs. CLINTON
OFFENSE – Adam Martin and Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Fate Berry
WEEK 2 vs. GREENBRIER
OFFENSE – Harley Hannah. DEFENSE – Levy Phillips
YOUTH FOOTBALL
SIXTH GRADE
FIFTH GRADE
FOURTH GRADE
THIRD GRADE
VOLLEYBALL
Panthers split 4A-Central matches this week.
PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK
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