Category: High School Football

Hounds top Panthers in opener

Heber Springs’ Hunter Kent looks upfield for running room against Newport Friday night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

September 4, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

First-half turnovers quickly put the Heber Springs Panthers in a bind during Friday’s football season opener against Newport at Panther Stadium.

Newport turned two interceptions and two fumble recoveries into touchdowns, drove for three more scores and defeated the Panthers 45-6, spoiling the coaching debut of new head coach Todd Wood.

The Greyhounds, who held a 321-121 advantage in total offense, built a 19-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Newport increased its advantage to 45-0 by halftime.

“Newport is a very good team with a lot of speed and size,” Wood said. “That is the kind of a team I want o play early in the season because it will help prepare us for conference play.”

Heber Springs received the opening kickoff and lost possession on the game’s second play on an interception, giving Newport a first down at the Panther 20. Tharon Davis scored on a 2-yard carry, putting the Greyhounds ahead 6-0 with 10:04 left in the opening quarter.

Newport didn’t wait long to regain possession and extend the lead. Newport recovered a fumble at the Panther 10 and Chris Reynolds caught a touchdown pass from Dejai Marshall with 9:02 left in the quarter.

The Greyhounds didn’t let up. After a short punt, Newport drove 65 yards on six plays with Davis scoring on a 6-yard run for an 19-0 lead with 3:23 remaining in the first quarter. Mark Chavez kicked the extra point.

“You don’t want to give a lot of gifts to a team like Newport early in the game,” Wood said. “They scored after two turnovers and then scored again before the end of the quarter. We looked at the scoreboard and saw we trailed 19-0.”

Heber Springs senior Matthew Cook looks to avoid the tackle of Newport’s Josh Drennin in action Friday night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Newport added four touchdowns during the second quarter with two scores set up by turnovers.

Jamarriel Balentine finished a 5-play, 31-yard drive following a short punt by scoring on a 2-yard run with 11:12 left in the first half. Marshall ran for a 2-point conversion, increasing Newport’s lead to 27-0.

Turnovers set up the Greyhounds’ next two touchdowns. Davis broke free and rushed 41 yards for a touchdown. Marshall connected on a 10-yard scoring pass to Reynold with 9:13 left in the first half.

Marshall threw his third touchdown pass of the opening half, a 39-yard strike to Tristan Griffen, late in the second quarter for the 45-0 halftime lead.

Davis finished the night with 114 yards rushing and three touchdown on nine carries for Newport, all coming in the first half.

“Newport played good defense,” Wood said. “We must recognize what they are doing and find a way to overcome it. The game snowballed on us and it’s hard to dig out of a hole like we had in the first half.”

Heber Springs began the second half by forcing a Newport punt and drove 76 yards on eight plays for its touchdown. Matthew Cook, who moved to quarterback, dashed into the clear and ran 62 yards for a first-and-goal at the Greyhound 1-yard line. Newport pushed the Panthers back to a fourth-and-goal at the 4 when Cook connected with Hunter Kent on a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone.

“We did better in the second half and moved the ball at times, but Newport was playing backups,” Wood said. “We need to fix everything for next week’s game and move forward.”

Wood said the players, especially the underclassmen, learned during the second half and that will benefit the team in the future.

“We have only eight seniors on a 38-player roster and our inexperience shows,” he said. “Some of the young guys learned new things and by the time we get to conference play. Those players will be more seasoned and that will help us out in the long run”

Heber Springs will play Harding Academy at First Security Stadium in Searcy starting at 7 p.m. Friday.

STATS

SCORING
Newport (2-0)       19  26  0  0 - 45
Heber Springs (0-1)  0   0  6  0 -  6

FIRST QUARTER
Newport - Tharon Davis 2-yard run (kick failed), 10:04
Newport - Dejai Marshall to Chris Reynolds 10-yard pass (kick failed), 9:02
Newport - Davis 6-yard run (Mark Chavez kick), 3:26
SECOND QUARTER
Newport - Jamarriel Balentine 2-yard run (Marshall run), 11:12
Newport - Davis 41-yard run (run failed), 10:42
Newport - Marshall to Isiah Kendall 10-yard pass (kick failed), 9:13
Newport - Marshall to Tristan Griffen 39-yard pass (run failed), 1:14
THIRD QUARTER
Heber Springs - Matthew Cook to Hunter Kent 1-yard pass (pass failed), 4:36

TEAM STATS
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 4, Newport 6 
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 2, Newport 8 
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Newport 0 
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 6, Newport 14 
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/11, Newport 3/6 
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 2/5, Newport 3/6
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 2/5, Newport 0/0 
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 23:24, Newport 24:36 
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 2/2, Newport 1/1
Turnovers: Heber Springs 4, Newport 1    
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Newport 25
Penalties: Heber Springs 2/10, Newport 3/25 
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 48/121/2.5, Newport 41/321/7.8
Rushing: Heber Springs 26/68/2.6, Newport 26/185/7.1
Passing: Heber Springs 10/22-53-1/2, Newport 12/15-136-3/0
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, Newport 4/22
Punts: Heber Springs 3/63/21, Newport 3/108/36 
Inside 20: Heber Springs 0, Newport 1 
INDIVIDUAL STATS
OFFENSE  
RUSHING: Heber Springs,  Matthew Cook 9/48/5.3, Diego Rubio 10/36/3.6, Gus Hannah 1/8, Nathan McKee 1/2, Hunter Kent 1/(-4), John McBroome 4/(-22)/(-5.5). Newport, Tharon Davis 9/114/12.7, Keyron Childress 2/49, Jamarriel Balentine 9/43/4.8, Devin Braxton 1/6, Team 1/(-3),  Cayden Johnson 3/(-12)/(-4), Dejai Marshall 1/(-12).
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook (1). Newport, Keyron Childress (1). 
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Newport, Tharon Davis (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Newport, Tharon Davis (2).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio (1). Newport, Jamarriel Balentine (2), Tharon Davis (1).
PASSING: Heber Springs, John McBroome 7/14-43-0/2, Matthew Cook 3/8-10-1/0. Newport, Dejai Marshall 12/12-136-3/0, Isiah Kendall 0/3-0-0/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 3/6, Austin Winchester 2/10, Diego Rubio 2/5, Nathan McKee 1/17, Gus Hannah 1/8, Kenan Sneed 1/7. Newport, Isiah Kendall 3/41, Tristan Griffen 3/37, Chris Reynolds 3/32, Jadarius Reed 1/11, Tharon Davis 1/10, Cayden Johnson 1/5.
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 58, Diego Rubio 36, John McBroome 21, Gus Hannah 8, Nathan McKee 2, Hunter Kent (-4). Newport, Dejai Marshall 124, Tharon Davis 114, Keyron Childress 49, Jamarriel Balentine 43, Devin Braxton 6, Team (-3), Cayden Johnson (-12), 
PUNT RETURNS: None. 
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 3/42, Matthew Cook 3/15. Newport, Chris Reynolds 1/2.  
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Newport, Chris Reynolds 1/5, Kiland Ellis 1/0.
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 106, Diego Rubio 83, Nathan McKee 19, Gus Hannah 16, Austin Winchester 10, Kenan Sneed 7, Hunter Kent 2, John McBroome (-22). Newport, Tharon Davis 124, Keyron Childress 49, Jamarriel Balentine 43, Chris Reynolds 42, Isiah Kendall 41, Tristan Griffen 37, Jadarius Reed 11, Devin Braxton 6, Team (-3), Cayden Johnson (-7), Dejai Marshall (-12).
SCORING: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 6. Newport, Tharon Davis 18, Jamarriel Balentine 6, Chris Reynolds 6, Isiah Kendall 6, Tristan Griffen 6, Dajai Marshall 2, Mark Chavez 1 (1-4 PAT kicks).
DEFENSE
INTERCEPTIONS: Newport, Chris Reynolds 1/5, Kiland Ellis 1/0.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Kenan Sneed 1. Newport, Tristan Griffen 1, Jaden Godair 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Newport, Aabel Robinson 2/11, Jaden Godair 1/6, Tyler Johnson 1/5.
PUNTS/YARDS/AVERAGE/INSIDE THE 20: Heber Springs, John McBroome 2/39/19.5/0, Matthew Cook 1/24/24/0. Newport, Dejai Marshall 3/108/36/1

(Stats compiled by Philip Seaton)

Panthers host Hounds tonight in opener

Heber Springs quarterback John McBroome throws a pass last week against Johnson County Westside in a benefit scrimmage contest. Heber Springs opens its season tonight at 7 p.m. against Newport. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

September 4, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs received a passing grade for its performance in last week’s benefit game against Johnson County West Side and hope for a higher grade when the Panthers will host the Newport Greyhounds at 7 p.m. tonight in the 2020 football season opener.

Newport opened its season last week by defeating Little Rock Mills, 47-22.

“It was nice to play the benefit game, but there is nothing like Friday night and playing in front of your fans,” first-year head coach Todd Wood said. “It’s a different level of excitement.”

The Panthers scored 29 of its 42 points against Johnson County Westside in the first of two quarters during the benefit game. Wood said the game came at a good time.

“We went into the (benefit) game looking to see what we could do against a different team,” Wood said. “We learned a lot from our mistakes. That is the purpose of a benefit game. Every player got in the game and that gave them an opportunity to gain experience going into the season.”

Nathan McKee, who was sidelined by an ankle injury for most of the preseason, will be available in Friday’s opener. Linemen Jayden Bremmon, who didn’t play in the benefit game, also will be in the starting lineup.

“They will give us a big boost,” Wood said. “I told the team again this week it is not how we start the season, but how we finish the season. We worked on a lot of things in practice and hope to click against Newport. The first three games are to prepare us for the conference games.”

Wood said John McBroome will start at quarterback, but Matthew Cook and Conner Riddle could see action at that position.

“We worked with John this week about making his reads and throwing the ball quicker to the receivers,” Wood said. “Cook will start at one of the receivers, but we have plays that he could be used at quarterback. Matthew will help us at receiver and quarterback. Conner was the junior high starter last season and also will be another option.”

Diego Rubio will get the nod at running back, with Jackson West, Kenan Sneed and Cook possibly playing in the backfield.

“I was impressed by Diego with his hard work and determination from the first day of practice. “Jackson is not only a good runner, but a good receiver. Kenan is not as fast as those two players, but he me makes up with his ability of how the defense is playing. Cook also is an option.”

McKee’s return to the lineup will strengthen the receiving corps. He and Hunter Kent were two of the team’s leading receivers in 2019.

“Nathan was one of our better returning receivers,” Wood said. “Hunter has speed with good hands and can help us stretch the defense. Cook and West also are good receivers.”

The coach said two newcomers have potential to balance the receiving corps.

“Gus Hannah was one of the most impressive receivers during summer camp,” Wood said. “He runs good routes and takes care of the ball. Easton Cusick is a sophomore and proved to be a reliable receiver. We won’t have to depend on one or two receivers to carry the load.”

Heber Springs junior Gus Hannah kicks a PAT in the Panthers scrimmage contest last week against Johnson County Westside. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Wood said the offensive line quickly learned the new blocking schemes. Zach Thomas anchors the line at center, with tackle Bremmon and guard Preston Roberson on the left side. Thad Bray, Payton Owens and Trevor Weathers will alternate on the right side.

“They played with a lot of confidence in the benefit game,” Wood said. “We have the guys who can do the job. They are improving with their run game blocking. I’m pleased with their work.”

Heber Springs will also play a different defense than previous seasons. The Panthers will line up in a 3-4 alignment, but occasionally play a four-player front.

Bray, Bremmon, Owens and Weathers will be the players to watch on the front line. Roberson, who will start at inside linebacker, will be the fourth lineman.

“The play on the defensive line is very important,” Wood said. “We must control the line of scrimmage and take away the other team’s running game.”

Sneed will start at inside linebacker opposite Roberson, with Rubio and West at the outside linebackers. Dakota Farmer and Cook will provide depth at inside and outside linebacker.

McGee and Cook will start at the safeties. Kent and Farmer will be the cornerbacks. Hannah will provide depth at safety and cornerback, and Riddle will see playing time at safety.

Wood said he is ready to start the season and play one of the top-ranked teams in Class 3A.

“Newport is very quick with a lot of speed,” Wood said. “They have a very good running back and quarterback. The quarterback played well against Mills and makes good decisions. They also like to pass and have two tall (6-foot-5) receivers. Newport will put you in bad situations and take advantage of your mistakes.”

Wood said execution will decide who wins Friday’s game.

“We must stop Newport’s big plays, limit our turnovers and create turnovers on defense,” Wood said. “We must execute on offense and defense, especially doing the little things right. On defense, we need 11 guys going to the ball and make things happen. If we can do all of that, we will have a good night.”

NOTEBOOK

NEWPORT (1-0) AT HEBER SPRINGS (0-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Panther Stadium, Heber Springs
RADIO: 101.9 The Lake. Billy Morgan will handle play-by-play with Lance Hamilton providing color. Panther Pregame begins at 6:45. 
STREAMING: 101.9 The Lake will also be providing live streaming of the game.
LAST WEEK: Newport 47, Little Rock Mills 22; Heber Springs was idle
SERIES: Newport leads 10-4
LAST MEETING: Heber Springs 33, Newport 20, 2015
NOTES: The two teams were scheduled to meet in the first season of football for Heber Springs in 1913, but as was the case in the early decades of high school football, the game was not played. The two teams would finally meet for the first time on November 5, 1937 at Newport (a 45-0 win for the Greyhounds) ... Newport claimed another win in the series in 1945 before the two teams would meet again 57 years later when Newport moved down in classification and was placed in the 2AAA conference with Heber Springs in 2002. The Greyhounds would win the first four games by a combined 169-47 before the Panthers claimed their first win in the series with a 24-14 win at Newport in 2006. After a Newport win in 2007, the two teams were placed in separate conferences but would meet again in the 4A quarterfinals in 2008 where the Greyhounds ended Heber Springs' season with a 46-14 victory. In 2010, Newport was placed in the 2-4A with Heber Springs and the two teams split the six meetings before the Greyhounds dropped down to class 3A starting in the 2016 cycle ... Though the two teams took a 57-year hiatus, after the Panther football program returned from a two-year absence 1949, the Heber Springs varsity team would play Newport's "B" team. The Greyhound second-teamers would win the first contest, 13-6, in Heber Springs, but Heber Springs' would claim victories over Newport's "B" in 1958, 1960 and 1963 -- the 1960 win over Newport "B" was the Panthers lone victory of the season ... Newport running back Tharon Davis has been offered by North Alabama ... Newport sophomore quarterback Dejai Marshall was 22 of 27 passing for 183 yards and two touchdowns last week against Little Rock Mills ... Senior Night festivities began at 6:15 p.m.

-- By PHILIP SEATON

Panthers dominate in benefit contest

Heber Springs senior Diego Rubio looks upfield against Johnson County Westside Tuesday night at Panther Stadium. Pictured for JC Westside, Ashton Yarbrough (13) and Peyton Chrisman (5). PHIILIP SEATON PHOTO

August 25, 2020

By PHILIP SEATON

Heber Springs took advantage of three Johnson County Westside turnovers and cruised to a 42-8 victory in an Arkansas Activities Association benefit game Tuesday night at Panther Stadium.

The game was the first for new Panther head coach Todd Wood after taking over the reigns of the program earlier this year.

“This is a big night for us,” Wood said. “I’ve been waiting for this night since I got here on February 3. We didn’t have spring ball, so we started June 1st so we had to implement all of those things we’ve been trying to put in both offense and defense.”

Offensively, the Panthers gave the home faithful a taste of what to expect this season spreading the ball out with four-receiver sets.

Junior quarterback John McBroome, stepping in for graduated All-State quarterback Adam Martin, was 12 of 17 passing for 141 yards and three touchdowns against the class 2A Rebels.

“John McBroome is a quarterback in progress,” Wood said. “He is learning every day, every week. He is better than he was months ago. He is still hesitant and we’ve got to work on that a little bit. 

“He’s extremely smart so a lot of times he has to be able to be free-following … be able to say, ‘Okay there is the key, there is they read, there is the trigger, throw the ball’. He wants to process it a little bit longer than he should. If we can get him to a point where he can trust himself a little bit and be able to do the reads and throw immediately, he’ll be a lot better. But I’m very proud of him, this offense we are putting in has a lot of pieces to it and you have to know every piece of it. He is the kinda kid that can do that and that’s the kind of quarterback I want. I’ve been telling the team from the beginning, it’s not how you start but how you finish and so the quarterback he is tonight will not be the same quarterback he’ll be in about six to seven weeks.”

The two teams played two 12-minute quarters and sophomore quarterback Wyatt Winchester got most of the snaps in the second stanza completing seven of nine passes for 49 yards, including a 15-yard scoring strike to sophomore Kenan Sneed with 6:30 left in the contest.

Heber Springs scored Hunter Kent raced 27 yards for a score to make it 6-0 with 7:25 to play in the first quarter.

Heber Springs junior Jackson West (23) celebrates a first-quarter touchdown with teammate Dakota Farmer. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

After a Johnson County Westside fumble on a high snap, McBroome connected with Kent for a 10-yard scoring strike. McBroome found sophomore Easton Cusick for the 2-point conversion to make it 14-0 with 6:44 left in the quarter.

Heber Springs struck less than a minute later when junior Jackson West picked another high snap and raced 21 yards to make it 22-0, after senior Diego Rubio ran in the 2-point conversion.

A pair of McBroome touchdown passes pushed the Panther lead to 36-0 at the 11:43 mark of the second quarter. The first, a 1-yard strike to Kent with 1:59 in the first quarter, and the second, a 13-yarder to Sneed in the second quarter.

Heber Springs finished with 12 first downs and 273 yards of offense while holding Johnson County Westside to a pair of first downs and 56 yards of offense, with 48 of those coming on a touchdown pass with 5:33 left in the contest.

“Overall, defensively, I thought we played well,” Wood said. “It is a new defensive scheme. It’s an aggressive scheme. There is a lot of moving parts to it. Overall pretty pleased with the first-team defense getting out there. They got a little help there early on. They (Rebels) had a couple of turnovers that helped us out a lot, but I was just happy to see them able to execute about 80 to 90 percent of what we wanted to do.”

Despite the score, Wood saw some things that needed to be cleaned up, including six penalties for 45, but overall he was pleased with the effort.

“I’ve been telling people from the get go that we’ve got a bunch of guys that are hungry to learn and want to do better,” he said. “So tonight was just a little glimpse, we didn’t do everything we are capable of doing. We made mistakes and we are going to clean that up before we get to Newport. 

“Overall, just thrilled to be playing a football game and stop hitting each other. Really, really happy.”

Heber Springs will host Newport on September 4th in the opener for both schools.

Scoring

First Quarter

7:25 – Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 27-yard run (Pass failed)

6:44 – Heber Springs, John McBroome to Kent 10-yard pass (McBroome to Easton Cusick pass

5:55 – Heber Springs, Jackson West 20-yard fumble return (Diego Rubio run)

1:59 – Heber Springs,  McBroome to Kent 1-yard pass (Gus Hannah kick)

Second Quarter

11:43 – Heber Springs, McBroome to Kenan Sneed 13-yard pass (Chandler Webber kick)

6:30 – Heber Springs, Wyatt Winchester to Sneed 15-yard pass (kick failed)

5:33 – Johnson County Westside, Peyton Chrisman to James Linton 48-yard touchdown pass (Chrisman to Dakota Beavers two-point pass)

Quick Stats

Team

First Downs: Heber Springs 12, Johnson County Westside 2

Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Johnson County Westside 3

Penalties : Heber Springs 6/45, Johnson County Westside 4/25

Total Offense: Heber Springs 273, Johnson County Westside 56

Team Rushing: Heber Springs 15/83, Johnson County Westside 11/(-5)

Team Passing: Heber Springs 19/26-190-4/0, Johnson County Westside 2/7-61-1/0

Individual

Rushing: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 2/37, Kenan Sneed 5/36, Diego Rubio 3/14, Matthew Cook 1/4 Wyatt Winchester 3/0, John McBroome 2/(-8). JC Westside, Peyton Chrisman 5/3, James Linton 3/11, Team 2/(-26), Dakota Beavers 1/2, Hunter Andrews 1/7.

Passing: Heber Springs, John McBroome 12/17-141-3/0, Wyatt Winchester 7/9-49-1/0. Johnson County Westside, Peyton Chrisman 2/7-61-1/0

Receiving: Easton Cusick 4/42, Kenan Sneed 4/39, Matthew Cook 3/47, Hunter Kent 3/20, Austin Winchester 3/14, Payton Talbert 1/18, Conner Riddle 1/9. Johnson County Westside, James Linton 1/33, Dakota Beavers 1/13.


Panther football team embracing challenge

August 23, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs players accepted a challenge from first-year head coach Todd Wood at the beginning of preseason football practice.

Exercising prevention measures against the threat of corona virus remains a priority, but Wood asked his players to take advantage of every day in becoming better football players.

“Our motto has been not how we start, but how we finish,” Wood said. “Every time we go onto the field, it could be the last time. I told the players you must live the moment and understand tomorrow is not a guarantee.”

Wood said his players quickly accepted a new philosophy. COVID-19 changed some aspects of practices, but Wood said he was pleased overall how his players responded.

“Everything has been a challenge {COVID-19},” Wood said. “Everyone was happy when we started conditioning work and now in practice. We do have some limitations at practice, but the players have been learning a new offense and defense.”

Coaches and players began the catch-up work in June when the Arkansas Activities Association authorized schools to conduct conditioning workouts. Preseason practice began on time.

Wood talked with players about the importance of progressing every day and stressed that hard work would help in closing the gap of no spring practice.

“I told the players that we were behind because of COVID-19,” he said. “We knew the hand dealt to us with few returning players. I have no problem with that, and building a foundation for a successful program.”

Wood liked how the high school and the junior high teams improved throughout August.

“We have the beginning of good things, but we have a long way to go,” he said. “I’ve been pleased with the junior high team. We have taken the first steps of building a program, and it starts with the current players.”

The Panthers will host Johnson County West Side in a benefit game starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Wood said COVID-19 could force a change in schedule, but he said the game is important for the development of players heading into the regular season.

“We are working on putting players in the right positions,” Wood said. “The players are ready to go against players who are not their teammates. I hope we can play the benefit game because we need that experience going into the first game.”

After the benefit game, the Panthers will focus on the season opener at home against Newport on Sept. 4.

“We continue working for the first game,” Wood said. “The players are hungry to play football again and look at this as an opportunity. They understand what we must do and what is necessary to get back on the field.”

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.

New Heber Springs head football coach Todd Wood. LARRY McCARTY PHOTO

“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.”

Heber Springs’ Martin signs with Arkansas Tech

February 5, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Quarterback Adam Martin capped his Heber Springs High School football career by signing a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II letter-of-intent with Arkansas Tech at the Panther Den Tuesday.

Martin, who started the final two games of his freshman season and the past three years, led the Panthers to a 21-17 record, four playoff appearances and a share of a conference championship.

Overall, Martin completed 387-of-662 passes for 5,051 yards and 42 touchdowns. He rushed for 2,042 yards and scored 30 touchdowns.

“I’m very excited, like Russellville and excited what the future will hold,” said Martin when asked about selecting Arkansas Tech. “I’m ready to start working on my football career in Russellville. I like the coaches who kept in touch with me throughout the process. They were honest and treated me like family.”

Will Cox, who was interim head coach last season for the Panthers, said Martin was one of the key parts on offense. Martin was responsible for 54 percent of the team’s touchdowns and 64 percent of the team’s total offense.

In 2019, Martin completed 139-of-232 passes for 1,627 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was the team’s second-leading rusher with 864 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. Martin also handled the punting duties.

“I only coached Adam during the past two years, but he played well beyond his years,” Cox said. “He took pride in how he played. I’m happy he is getting this opportunity. His stats are incredible and only tells part of the story. Adam always put our offense in good position to be successful.”
Cox said he never doubted Martin would play college football and said his new coach will learn quickly how valuable of a player he is.

Heber Springs’ Adam Martin waits to sign his letter-of-intent with Arkansas Tech University. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

“I told every coach once he gets in your program, you would see why,” Cox said. “Adam is the best high school quarterback I ever coached. His best attributes are leadership and he holds himself to a higher standard than others.”

Martin is expected to compete for playing time next season for the Wonder Boys, who tied for eighth place with East Central Oklahoma in the Great American Conference last season during head coach Kyle Shipp’s first season.

“Most likely, I will probably be redshirted, but that decision will not be made until after the August camp,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting to Tech. Coach Shipp takes pride in being a Wonder Boy (player and assistant coach before becoming head coach). The program is going in the right direction.”

Martin was one of three quarterbacks signed.

“I’m excited about all of the kids that we’re signing,” Shipp said. “I feel like it’s a very good class from top to bottom. This class is a building block to where we want to get to in the future. Along with our returning class we feel like this group will have the chance to be special.”

Martin said he is ready for the challenge and compared it to when he was summoned to the varsity during his freshman year for the Panthers.

“I already was playing junior high basketball and coach (Darren) Gowen came and told me I was going to be playing more football,” Martin said. “I learned a lot in those games. I have so many memories, but two of the highlights were winning at Southside Batesville during my junior year and defeating Riverview at senior night last season.”

Martin said it was special to play on the same field as his father, Danny.

Adam Martin poses with father, Danny, in front of the Heber Springs High School class of 1981 class portrait. Danny was a 1981 graduate of Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

“I built a lot of relationships in the locker room and the community,” he said. “It also was special playing where my dad and uncles did.”

Martin continues to play for the Heber Springs basketball team and will compete for the baseball squad before heading to Russellville.

“Learning a new playbook will be the first challenge,” he said. “I need to become more physically because Division II football is a different game than high school. I want to get it up to their standards.”

Martin will join former teammate, Julian Cameron, at Tech. Cameron signed with the Wonder Boys last spring and redshirted this past season.

Martin is also the fifth Panther football player in the past three seasons to sign to play college football joining Cameron (Arkansas Tech), Blaze Nelson (Lyon College), J.J. Bray (Southwest Baptist, Mo.) last year and Jacob Bremmon (Hendrix) in 2018.

RELATED ARTICLE: Arkansas Tech announces 2020 signing class

Adam Martin with his family.

ADAM MARTIN INTERVIEW

HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX

FORMER HEBER SPRINGS COACH DARREN GOWEN

Reese resigns as athletic director at Heber Springs

January 20, 2020

Heber Springs Athletic Director Brad Reese submitted his resignation, effective at the end of the current school year, to the Heber Springs School Board on Monday night.

The board accepted his resignation with a 5-0.

The resignation does not include his assistant principal duties at the high school.

The Hot Springs High and Arkansas Tech alum came to the Heber Springs School District in 1991 as an assistant coach on John Richardson’s staff. Reese was promoted to head coach the following season when Richardson stepped down as coach to concentrate on teaching duties.

Reese served as head coach until the 1997 season, leading the Panthers to their first playoff berth in 14 years in his last campaign, to take the head coach position at Huntsville.

Reese coached at Huntsville for two seasons before returning to Heber Springs. First working as defensive coordinator for his long-time friend, Todd Thompson, then in various roles including head junior high coach before taking over as athletic director in December 2013 when Steve Janski resigned to take a similar position at Fayetteville High School.

Wood named new head coach at Heber Springs

January 20, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Todd Wood, the defensive coordinator at Russellville High School since 2017, became the new leader of the Heber Springs Panther football program at Monday night’s school board meeting.

Wood was hired on a vote of 3-2. Kevin Thomas, Dr. Ryan Buffalo and Bryce Farmer voted in favor of Wood, while Judy Crowder and Jason Jones voted no.

Wood was one of six candidates interviewed by a five-member search committee and Superintendent Dr. Alan Stauffacher. Wood is expected to be on campus Wednesday and begin his duties on Feb. 3. He also will teach social studies.

Wood was the defensive coordinator at Pulaski Academy from 2003-2016. The Bruins won six state titles during that time frame. He also a baseball coach at Pulaski Academy.

Wood and five other candidates were interviewed in December and then again in January. The position became vacant in July when Darren Gowen resigned to accept another coaching position. Assistant coach Will Cox was interim head for the 2019 season.

“We started this process in the summer when coach Gowen resigned,” Stauffacher said. “We are ready to move forward.”

Stauffacher said Wood will work with a contract to finish the spring semester before he will have a new contract for the 2020-21 school year.

Wood is the first football coach hired that had not previously served on the coaching staff since Steve Janski in 2005 and only the third head coach hired outside of the program since 1974, joining John Richardson in 1989. Richardson came to Heber Springs from Huntsville.

The Panthers will open their 99th football season against Newport in September.

(Editor’s Note: Philip Seaton contributed to this article.)

Panthers expect to name new football coach Monday

January 20, 2020

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The search for Heber Springs’ next head football coach will end Monday night when a recommendation will be presented to the school board during its meeting.

Six candidates were interviewed by Superintendent Dr. Alan Stauffacher and a five-member search committee in December and then again in January.
The position became vacant in July when Darren Gowen resigned to accept another coaching position. Assistant coach Will Cox was named interim head coach for the 2019 season.

Athletic director Brad Reese, high school principal Marc Griffin, former school board member Richard Whybrew, current board member Dr. Ryan Buffalo and coach Jay Bishop comprise the committee.

Monday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the school district’s central office.

Martin commits to Arkansas Tech

Heber Springs’ Adam Martin gets ready to throw a pass against Shiloh Christian in 4A playoff action in November. Martin recently committed to continue his football career at Arkansas Tech in Russellville. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

January 9, 2020

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs senior quarterback Adam Martin will not go too far away from home to play college football.

Martin, who was recently named to Class 4A all-state team, announced he will sign a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II letter of intent with Arkansas Tech.

In 2019, Martin completed 139-of-238 passes for 1,648 yards and 13 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He was the team’s second-leading rusher with 865 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. Martin ran for more than 100 yards four times.

Martin became the starting quarterback for the Panthers late in 2016 as a freshman. He started the next three seasons.

Martin will join former teammate, Julian Cameron, at Arkansas Tech. Cameron, a kicker, redshirted this past season for the Wonder Boys after signing last spring.

Players may sign letters of intent with NCAA schools beginning on Feb. 5.