A second round of interviews with Heber Springs High School head football coaching candidates will be held on Wednesday.
The five-member search committee met last week after the initial interviews of six candidates in December.
Assistant coach Will Cox was named interim head coach in July, replacing Darren Gowen, who resigned in June.
Heber Springs finished the season at 4-7.
Superintendent Dr. Alan Stauffacher earlier said he expected a recommendation for the school board’s January 20 meeting. Stauffacher said the recommendation may be delayed.
Athletic director Brad Reese, high school principal Marc Griffin, former school board member Richard Whybrew, current board member Dr. Ryan Buffalo, coach Jay Bishop and Stauffacher comprise the committee.
The Heber Springs High School football awards banquet was held at the Heber Springs High School cafeteria.
Head coach Will Cox and the coaching staff presented the following awards for the 2019 season:
All-State: Adam Martin
Honorable Mention All-State: Julio Rubio, Fate Berry and Landon Johnson
All-Conference: Nathan McKee, Hunter Kent, Matthew Cook and Harley Hannah.
Team MVP: Landon Johnson
Offensive MVP: Adam Martin
Defensive MVP: Fate Berry
Panther Award: Lawrence Baureis
Seth Decker Award (Outstanding Sophomore): Preston Jones
VIDEO
Note: The video starts with Hunter Kent receiving his all-conference award.
2019 HEBER SPRINGS FINAL FOOTBALL STATS
Heber Springs 61 103 54 83 - 301 (27.4)
Opponent 60 125 104 73 - 362 (32.9)
TEAM First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 113, Opponent 120
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 69, Opponent 73
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 9, Opponent 12
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 191, Opponent 205
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 64/135 (47.4), Opponent 44/117 (37.6)
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 13/35 (37.1), Opponent 18/34 (52.9)
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 27/36 (75) (27 tds), Opponent 33/44 (75) (31 tds, 2 FG)
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 19/10, Opponent 17/9
Turnovers: Heber Springs 20, Opponent 14
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 48, Opponent 56
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 90/673, Opponent 78/764
Plays/Total Offense/YPP/PER GAME: Heber Springs 676/3883/5.7/353, Opponent 655/3909/6.0/355.4
Rushing: Heber Springs 432/2244/5.2, Opponent 458/2239/4.9
Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 204, Opponent 203.6
Passing: Heber Springs 139/238-1648-13/10, Opponent 136/223-1708-24/5
Completion Percentage: Heber Springs 51.9, Opponent 61.0
Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 148.9, Opponent 155.3
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 20/107, Opponent 13/75
Punts: Heber Springs 30/1176/39.2, Opponent 29/975/33.6
Blocked Punts: Heber Springs 1
INDIVIDUAL OFFENSE RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Julio Rubio 185/1154/6.2/100.4/16, Adam Martin 176/845/4.8/76.8/11, Landon Johnson 55/259/4.7/23.6/5, Levy Phillips 6/28, Nathan McKee 3/14, Diego Rubio 1/2, Tri Johnson 1/(-2), Team 7/(-52)
RUNS OF 50+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam, Martin 2
RUNS OF 40+: Julio Rubio 4 Adam Martin 2
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 6, Adam Martin 3
RUNS OF 20+: Julio Rubio 12, Adam Martin 8, Landon Johnson 1
RUNS OF 10+: Julio Rubio 29, Adam Martin 23, Landon Johnson 4, Levy Phillips 1
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Julio Rubio 6, Adam Martin 4
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 139/238-1648-13/10
250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Nathan McKee 30/350/11.7/4, Landon Johnson 25/269/10.8/2, Matthew Cook 23/198/8.6/1, Hunter Kent 18/221/12.3/3, Fate Berry 15/202/13.5/1, Julio Rubio 13/155/11.2, Tri Johnson 12/208/17.3/2, Jackson West 1/18, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Hunter Kent 1, Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 2497/227, Julio Rubio 1154/104.9, Landon Johnson 259/23.6, Levy Phillips 28, Nathan McKee 14, Diego Rubio 2, Tri Johnson (-2), Team (-51)
KICKOFF RETURNS: Tri Johnson 8/170/21.3, Nathan McKee 7/87/12.4, Hunter Kent 7/52/7.4, Matthew Cook 6/62/10.3, Jackson West 6/47/7.8, Levy Phillips 4/37/9.3, Diego Rubio 4/85/21.3, Julio Rubio 3/44/14.7, Lawrence Baureis 1/10, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 6, Adam Martin 1/6, Tristan Thissen 1/0.
PUNT RETURNS: Nathan McKee 3/12, Tri Johnson 1/(-3)
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Nathan McKee 3/54, Dalton McCollum 1/4, Fate Berry 1/2
FUMBLE RETURNS: Matthew Cook 1/4
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 1236/112.4, Adam Martin 851/77.4, Landon Johnson 527/47.9, Nathan McKee 483/43.9, Tri Johnson 373/57.3, Matthew Cook 264/26.4, Hunter Kent 302/27.5, Fate Berry 204/18.6, Diego Rubio 99/9, Jackson West 65/5.9, Levy Phillips 65/5.9, Dalton McCollum 13, Lawrence Baureis 10 Harley Bresnahan 6
DEFENSE TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 75/30/105, Landon Johnson 75/28/103, Diego Rubio 47/14/61, Kaden Hughes 37/16/53, Nathan McKee 36/16/52, Hunter Kent 32/13/45, Lawrence Baureis 32/13/45, Matthew Cook 31/9/40, Nicholas Hitchcock 29/8/37, Levy Phillips 27/14/41, Jackson West 24/4/28, Julio Rubio 13/7/20, Dalton McCollum 11/7/18, Tri Johnson 9/5/14, Harley Bresnhan 7/4/11, Trevor Weathers 8/1/9, Preston Jones 3/2/5, Harley Hannah 3/2/5, Jackson Harrod 4/1/5, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Devon Doxey 3/1/4, Tristan Thissen 1/2/3, Trent Barnes 2/1/3, Adam Martin 3/0/3, Nate Dearmond 1/1/2, Spencer Evans 2/0/2, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Fate Berry 15, Landon Johnson 15.5, Kaden Hughes 11.5, Diego Rubio 7, Nicholas Hitchcock 6.5, Julio Rubio 9, Lawrence Baureis 7, Levy Phillips 2, Jackson West 2, Tri Johnson 1.5, Hunter Griffin 1, Harley Bresnahan 1, Devon Doxey 1, Nathan McKee 1
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Fate Berry 4/28, Kaden Hughes 4/24, Tri Johnson 2.5/22, Diego Rubio 1.5/5, Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Julio Rubio .5/9, Landon Johnson 1/3, Matthew Cook .5/3, Nicholas Hitchcock .5/4.
INTERCEPTIONS: Nathan McKee 3, Dalton McCollum 1, Fate Berry 1
DEFENSIVE FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Hunter Kent 2, Diego Rubio 3, Nicholas Hitchcock 2, Nathan McKee 1, Landon Johnson 1,
BLOCKED PUNTS: Kaden Hughes 1
PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 29/1143/39.4/8, Matthew Cook 1/33/33
SCORING: Julio Rubio 96 (16 tds), Adam Martin 66 (11 td), Jackson Harrod 37 (37-41 PAT, 0-1 FG), Landon Johnson 36 (6 tds), Nathan McKee 24 (4 td), Hunter Kent 18 (3 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Fate Berry 6 (1 td), Matthew Cook 6 (1 td)
A five-member search committee, along with Superintendent Dr. Alan Stauffacher, will interview six candidates to become the next head football coach at Heber Springs High School Wednesday.
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.
Stauffacher said the plan is to conduct the first round of interviews before Christmas and possibly calling for second interviews either in late December or early January. He said the committee’s goal is to have a recommendation ready for the Jan. 20 school board meeting.
Assistant coach Will Cox was named interim head coach in July, replacing Darren Gowen, who resigned in June.
“The committee and I met twice and reviewed the applications,” Stauffacher said. “We decided on who would be interviewed and possibly the best fit for the job. We plan to keep our options open. We wanted to do the first round of interviews before Christmas, and then we will look at where we are at that point.”
The search process began following the completion of the football season in mid-November.
“I’m pleased with the six candidates,” Stauffacher said. “We are looking for a quality person to lead the football program. We also want a coach who wants to be at Heber Springs, become vested into the community and build the program. We want a coach with high energy and a proven record. Those are some of the qualities we are looking for in the next coach.”
If a new coach is hired at the January school board meeting, Stauffacher hopes to have him on campus by late February or possibly early March.
“The holiday may delay it, but I believe we can have a recommendation by the next board meeting,” Stauffacher said. “We will have to wait and see how the process goes.”
SPRINGDALE – Shiloh Christian used a quick-strike, precision passing game and took advantage of four Heber Springs turnovers to end the Panthers season with a 62-27 victory Friday night in a first-round 4A playoff game.
The 27 points scored by Heber Springs was the most points Shiloh Christian (11-0) has allowed to an opponent all season.
Heber Springs finishes the season with a 4-7 record while Shiloh Christian advanced to the second round where the Saints will host Pocahontas Friday night.
It was the final game for 14 Panther seniors, who made three consecutive playoff appearances and won a share of a 4A-2 conference crown in 2017. Two of those seniors, Adam Martin (15 carries for 118 yards) and Julio Rubio (14 carries for 108), closed out their careers rushing for more than 100 yards on the night.
Senior Eli Reece was 26 of 32 for 395 yards passing with seven touchdowns for Shiloh Christian as the Saints needed only 36 seconds to take a 6-0 lead after Reece connected with Logan Raben for a 45-yard score. The 2-point conversion failed.
On the Panthers first possession, Heber Springs moved from their own 15 to their 49 after a pair of first-down runs by Rubio, the first for 23 and second for 11, but the drive fizzled at the Shiloh Christian 43 and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.
The Saints didn’t waste much time going up 14-0 moving 57 yards on four plays in 39 seconds as Reece connected with Truitt Tollett for the score and Cam Wiedemann for the 2-point conversion.
Heber Springs responded as Rubio went 41 yards on second down to put the ball the Saint 18. Two players later Martin ran the ball in from the 14 with 6:44 to play in the opening quarter. Jackson Harrod’s kick made it 14-7 Shiloh.
The Saints drove to the Panther 14 before the Heber Springs defense stopped the Saints on a fourth-and-1 with 3:37 left in the first quarter.
The Panthers picked up a pair of first downs on their next drive, the second coming after Martin connected with Hunter Kent for eight yards on third-and-7 from the Heber Springs 28, but a holding penalty on a Landon Johnson run on the next play put Heber Springs in the hole for the series forcing the game’s only punt, a Martin 56-yarder on the first play of the second quarter.
From there Shiloh Christian marched 93 yards in 1:35 in five plays to go up 21-7 after Reece connected with Tollett again for a 34-yard score.
The Saints attempted an onside kick and recovered it after the ball after it bounced a Panther at the 50. Two plays and 20 seconds later the Saints would go up 28-7 after Reece found Tollett yet again for a 33-yard touchdown.
The Panthers pulled to within two scores on the ensuing drive after recovering the onside-kick attempt on their own 49. Martin rushed for nine yards for a first down at the Shiloh 32 and passed for another first down connecting with Nathan McKee for an eight-yard completion. Three plays later, Martin again connected with McKee, this time for a 16-yard touchdown with 5:45 left in the first half. The kick failed making it 28-13.
Shiloh Christian need only 90 seconds to respond as Reece found tight end Beau Cason for an eight-yard touchdown pass making it 35-13.
The Panthers kept it a two-score game on their next possession after Martin kept the snap, went off tackle and out ran a trio of Saint defenders for a 57-yard touchdown run to make it 35-20 with 2:12.
Shiloh Christian was driving for another apparent score before Kent stepped in front the Reece pass attempt at the Panther 20 for the interception, but after picking up 28 yards on the return, Kent had the ball knocked free and the Saints recovered. Seven plays later and with 16 seconds left in the half, Reece found Cason for a 17-yard scoring strike to make it 42-20 at the half.
Shiloh Christian put the game out of reach with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns and invoke the Arkansas Activities Association 35-point Mercy Rule. The Panthers did score a late touchdown as Rubio plunged in from the 3 to set the final score.
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX
GAME NOTES
LEGEND IN THE HOUSE: Heber Springs High graduate and former Panther head coach Dennis DeBusk, who also served as the first head coach in Shiloh Christian history, was on the Heber Springs sidelines for the first half Friday night. DeBusk is retired and lives in Springdale.
LEGEND IN THE HOUSE TOO: Heber Springs High graduate and former Arkansas Razorback Braylon Mitchell was at the game with his family Friday night to catch Heber Springs (see video).
RARE PICK: Hunter Kent’s second-quarter interception of Shiloh Christian Eli Reece was only the third time this season the senior has been picked off.
BOOK-END CENTURY MARKS: Seniors Julio Rubio and Adam Martin opened the season by both rushing for more than 100 yards against Clinton and only accomplished it one another time this season, in the season-ending loss at Shiloh Christian.
DEFENSIVE ACTION: Senior quarterback Adam Martin played on the defense for the first time this season against Shiloh Christian. With the Saints vaunted spread passing attack, Martin was in the secondary.
IT’S HEBER SPRINGS: The public address announcer at Shiloh Christian made the mistake before kick off by calling saying “Herber Springs Panthers.” It was the only time he made the mistake on the night.
LIGHTS OUT: The stadium at Shiloh Christian uses LED lights and before kick off, the lights were turned off right before the Saint football team ran throw a lighted entrance to come onto the field.
ROUGH NIGHT FOR THE 4A-2: Central Arkansas Christian was the only conference team to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Riverview fell to DeWitt for the second time this season, 44-15. Southside Batesville lost to Star City, 47-20. Pea Ridge downed Lonoke, 49-13, and Central Arkansas Christian topped Gentry, 49-20. The Mustangs will travel to Joe T. Robinson Friday night for a second-round match-up.
SCORING
Heber Springs (4-7) 7 13 0 7 - 27
Shiloh Christian (11-0) 14 28 14 6 - 62
FIRST QUARTER
Shiloh - Eli Reece to Logan Raben 45-yard pass (pass failed), 11:24
Shiloh - Reece to Truitt Tollett 2-yard pass (Reece to Cam Wiedemann pass), 8:06
Heber Springs - Adam Martin 14-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 6:44
SECOND QUARTER
Shiloh - Reece to Tollett 34-yard pass (Keaton Carter kick), 10:14
Shiloh - Reece to Tollett 33-yard pass (Carter kick), 9:53
Heber Springs - Martin to Nathan McKee 16-yard pass (kick failed), 5:45
Shiloh - Reece to Beau Cason 8-yard pass (Carter kick), 4:15
Heber Springs - Martin 57-yard run (Harrod kick), 2:12
Shiloh - Reece to Cason 17-yard pass (Carter kick), :16
THIRD QUARTER
Shiloh - Reece to Tollett 1-yard pass (Carter kick), 8:19
Shiloh - Carter 40-yard interception return (Carter kick), 7:11
FOURTH QUARTER
Shiloh - Ben Baker 44-yard run (kick blocked), 10:49
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 3-yard run (Harrod kick), 4:50
OFFENSERUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 15/118/7.9/2, Julio Rubio 14/108/7.7/1, Landon Johnson 3/20/6.7, Nathan McKee 2/8, Levy Phillips 2/7, Team 1/(-1). Shiloh Christian, Cam Wiedemann 10/110/11, Ben Baker 3/77/25.7/1, Truitt Tollett 3/31/10.3, Hayden Brasuell 2/18, Eli Reece 1/7, Logan Raben 1/6, Ben Walton 1/2, Jacob Solomon Elias Hewitt 1/1, 1/(-1), Team 1/(-9).
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1), Julio Rubio (1). Shiloh Christian, Ben Baker (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1), Julio Rubio (1). Shiloh Christian, Ben Baker (1), Truitt Tollett (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (2), Adam Martin (1). Shiloh Christian, Cam Wiedemann (3), Ben Baker (1), Truitt Tollett (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (4), Adam Martin (3). Shiloh Christian, Cam Wiedemann (5), Ben Baker (3), Truitt Tollett (1), Hayden Brasuell (1).
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 13/27-96-1/2, Shiloh Christian, Eli Reece 26/32-395-7/1, Kyle Cason 1/1-2-0/0
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 5/70/1, Landon Johnson 4/8, Hunter Kent 2/10, Fate Berry 1/8, Matthew Cook 1/0. Shiloh Christian, Truitt Tollett 11/178/16.2/4, Cam Wiedemann 5/57, Luke Hutchinson 4/59, Beau Cason 4/37/2, Logan Raben 1/45/1, Hunter Mason 1/19, Sawyer Shankle 1/2
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 214, Julio Rubio 108, Landon Johnson 20, Nathan McKee 8, Levy Phillips 7, Team (-1). Shiloh Christian, Eli Reece 402, Cam Wiedemann 110, Ben Baker 77, Truitt Tollett 31, Hayden Brasuell 18, Logan Raben 6, Ben Walton 2, Kyle Cason 2, Elias Hewitt 1, Jacob Solomon (-1), Team (-9).
PUNT RETURNS: None.
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 2/48, Jackson West 2/8, Matthew Cook 2/0, Nathan McKee 1/8, Adam Martin 1/6, Hunter Kent 1/0. Shiloh Christian, Keaton Carter 2/23, Beau Cason 1/36, Ben Baker 1/32.
FUMBLE RETURNS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 1/4 (offensive)
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 29. Shiloh Christian, Keaton Carter 40.
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 124, Julio Rubio 108, Nathan McKee 86, Diego Rubio 52, Hunter Kent 39, Landon Johnson 28, Fate Berry 8, Jackson West 8, Levy Phillips 7. Shiloh Christian, Truitt Tollett 209, Cam Wiedemann 167, Ben Baker 109, Beau Cason 73, Keaton Carter 63, Luke Hutchinson 59, Logan Raben 51, Hunter Mason 19, Hayden Brasuell 18, Eli Reece 7, Ben Walton 2, Sawyer Shankle 2, Elias Hewitt 1, Jacob Solomon (-1).
Larry McCarty, a Heber Springs native and recently retired, will be a contributor to MarkedTime.com according to MarkedTime.com publisher/owner Philip Seaton.
McCarty retired in March after 40 years, the last 15 years as sports editor of the Snyder Daily News in Texas.
A 1973 Heber Springs High School graduate, McCarty started his career at the Cleburne County Times before stops in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas. He also was the sports editor at The Daily Citizen in Searcy for six years during the 1990s.
McCarty received the 2018 Texas Girls Coaches Association Division 2 Sports Writer of the Year award.
Markedtime.com is a Heber Springs-based sports archives website that not only focuses on the present, but also the past, in honoring the athletic achievements of the residents of the state of Arkansas.
“We are delighted to add Larry ‘Scoop’ McCarty as a contributor to our upstart online publication,” publisher/owner Philip Seaton said. “I have known ‘Scoop’ for a long time. As a young reporter at the Heber Springs Sun-Times, Larry cast a long-shadow in following him as sports editor several years after he left. He only cast that shadow because of the excellent coverage he provided for Heber Springs, and Cleburne County, residents and one that I tried to emulate.
“I am excited to add ‘Scoop’ as contributor. His knowledge and passion for Heber Springs and the state of Arkansas is rivaled by a few.”
Contact Larry McCarty at @ScoopMcCarty on twitter or email [email protected].
Contact Philip Seaton at [email protected], on twitter at @ARSportsArchive, or on Facebook at MarkedTime.com.
Radio: Lance Hamilton with handle the play-by-play with Jamey Riddle providing the color on KSUG 101.9 The Lake. Panther Pregame begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the game. Listen Live Link
W L CP W L PS PA
Riverview 5 2 52 7 3 337 278
Southside Batesville 5 2 54 7 3 340 246
Central Arkansas Christian 5 2 59 7 3 296 220
Lonoke 5 2 47 6 4 293 297
Heber Springs 4 3 41 4 6 274 300
Bald Knob 3 4 13 3 7 160 310
Stuttgart 1 7 13 1 9 238 341
Little Rock Mills 0 8 0 0 10 202 264
Friday, November 1
Central Arkansas Christian 34, Bald Knob 6
Heber Springs 49, Riverview 35
Lonoke 35, Stuttgart 28
Southside Batesville 50, Little Rock Mills 23
Thursday, November 7
Lonoke 26, Riverview 14
Central Arkansas Christian 28, Stuttgart 6
Friday, November 8
Bald Knob 27, Southside Batesville 22
Heber Springs 28, Little Rock Mills 14
PLAYOFFS: No. 1 Riverview hosts Bauxite, No. 2 Southside Batesville hosts Star City, No. 3 CAC hosts Gentry, No. 4 Lonoke travels to Pea Ridge and No. 5 Heber Springs travels to Shiloh Christian.
NEXT WEEK: The winner of the Shiloh Christian/Heber Springs contest will face the winner of the Pocahontas/Gravette in a second-round playoff contest. If Shiloh Christian wins, they will be at home regardless of the opponent. If Heber Springs wins, they would travel to Pocahontas if the Redskins win or would host Gravette if the Lions win.
CONSECUTIVE STREAK: Heber Springs has qualified for the playoffs for six straight seasons, and 13 out of the last 14 years.
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX
GAME NOTES
THE SERIES: Heber Springs leads 2-1
SERIES HISTORY: The two teams first met during the 2011 season opener. Heber Springs defeated Shiloh Christian, 36-17, in a game played at the Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. The Panthers also faced the Saints in a first-round playoff game in 2011 at Panther Stadium – a 48-35 Heber Springs victory. Shiloh Christian would return to Panther Stadium in 2016 for a second-round playoff contest, a 42-7 Shiloh Christian victory. This will be the Panthers first contest at the “Field of Champions.”
PANTHER CONNECTION: The first football coach in Shiloh Christian history was Heber Springs High School graduate and former head coach Dennis DeBusk. DeBusk, who went 71-53 as head coach at Heber Springs from 1976 through 1987, coach the Saints from 1989-1995 compiling a mark of 38-35 (though the team had to forfeit 8 wins from the 1994 campaign due to an ineligible player). DeBusk was followed as head coach at the school by current Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.
STATE TITLES: Shiloh Christian has won seven state titles since launching its football program in 1989.
SHILOH BY THE NUMBERS: The Saints are averaging 308 passing yards per game and another 124 on the ground. Senior quarterback Eli Reece is 184 out of 252 passing for 2,676 yards with 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Reece’s favorite target has been senior Truitt Tollett, who has caught 82 passes for 1,336 yards and 21 touchdowns. Junior Cam Wiedemann is the Saints leading rusher with 584 yards on 91 carries with 12 touchdowns while senior Logan Raben has rushed for 11 scores.
FOUR TO GO: Heber Springs senior Julio Rubio needs four yards rushing to top the 1,000-yard mark on the season.
TEAM STATS (THROUGH 10 GAMES)
Heber Springs 54 90 54 76 - 274 (27.4)
Opponent 46 97 90 67 - 300 (30)
TEAM First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 100, Opponent 110
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 64, Opponent 54
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 7, Opponent 11
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 171, Opponent 174
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 56/121 (46.2), Opponent 42/113 (37.1)
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 12/31 (38.7), Opponent 18/33 (54.5)
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 25/34 (73.5) (25 tds), Opponent 29/39 (74.4) (27 tds, 2 FG)
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 16/8, Opponent 17/9
Turnovers: Heber Springs 16, Opponent 13
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 48, Opponent 28
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 81/598, Opponent 71/699
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 612/3527/5.8, Opponent 604/3270/5.4
Rushing: Heber Springs 395/1984/5.0, Opponent 434/1997/4.6
Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 198.4, Opponent 199.7
Passing: Heber Springs 126/211-1542-12/8, Opponent 109/190-1311-17/4
Completion Percentage: Heber Springs 59.7, Opponent 57.4
Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 154.2, Opponent 131.1
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 20/107, Opponent 12/64
Punts: Heber Springs 29/1120/38.6, Opponent 29/975/33.6
Blocked Punts: Heber Springs 1
INDIVIDUAL OFFENSE RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Julio Rubio 176/996/5.7/99.6/15, Adam Martin 161/727/4.5/72.7/8, Landon Johnson 52/239/4.6/23.9/5, Levy Phillips 4/21, Nathan McKee 1/6, Diego Rubio 1/2, Tri Johnson 1/(-2), Team 6/(-51)
RUNS OF 50+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam, Martin 1
RUNS OF 40+: Julio Rubio 3 Adam Martin 1
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 5, Adam Martin 2
RUNS OF 20+: Julio Rubio 10, Adam Martin 7, Landon Johnson 1
RUNS OF 10+: Julio Rubio 25, Adam Martin 24, Landon Johnson 4, Levy Phillips 1
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Julio Rubio 5, Adam Martin 3
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 126/211-1542-12/8
250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Nathan McKee 24/274/11.4/3, Matthew Cook 22/198/9/1, Landon Johnson 21/261/12.4/2, Hunter Kent 16/211/13.2/3, Fate Berry 14/194/13.9/1, Julio Rubio 13/145/11.2, Tri Johnson 12/208/17.3/2, Jackson West 1/18, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Hunter Kent 1, Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 2269/226.9, Julio Rubio 996/99.6, Landon Johnson 239/23.9, Levy Phillips 21, Nathan McKee 6, Diego Rubio 2, Tri Johnson (-2), Team (-51)
KICKOFF RETURNS: Tri Johnson 8/170/21.3, Nathan McKee 6/79/13.2, Hunter Kent 6/52/8.7, Matthew Cook 4/62/15.5, Julio Rubio 3/44/14.7, Levy Phillips 4/37/9.3, Jackson West 4/39/9.8, Diego Rubio 2/37/18.5, Lawrence Baureis 1/10, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 6, Tristan Thissen 1/0.
PUNT RETURNS: Nathan McKee 3/12, Tri Johnson 1/(-3)
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Nathan McKee 2/26, Dalton McCollum 1/4, Fate Berry 1/2
FUMBLE RETURNS: Matthew Cook 1/4
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 1078/107.8, Adam Martin 727/72.7, Landon Johnson 499/49.9, Nathan McKee 397/39.7, Tri Johnson 373/57.3, Matthew Cook 264/26.4, Hunter Kent 263/26.3, Fate Berry 196/19.6, Diego Rubio 47/4.7, Jackson West 57/5.7, Levy Phillips 58/5.8, Lawrence Baureis 10/1, Harley Bresnahan 6/1, Dalton McCollum 13/1.3,
DEFENSE TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 73/26/99, Landon Johnson 70/26/96, Diego Rubio 47/13/60, Kaden Hughes 31/14/45, Hunter Kent 29/11/40, Nathan McKee 33/13/46, Levy Phillips 24/11/35, Lawrence Baureis 30/10/40, Matthew Cook 27/7/34, Nicholas Hitchcock 27/8/35, Jackson West 22/4/26, Tri Johnson 9/5/14, Dalton McCollum 11/5/16, Julio Rubio 13/6/19, Harley Bresnhan 6/4/10, Trevor Weathers 8/1/9, Preston Jones 2/2/5, Harley Hannah 3/2/5, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Devon Doxey 3/1/4, Tristan Thissen 1/2/3, Trent Barnes 2/1/3, Jackson Harrod 3/1/4, Nate Dearmond 0/1/1, Spencer Evans 1/0/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Fate Berry 15, Landon Johnson 15.5, Kaden Hughes 11.5, Diego Rubio 7, Nicholas Hitchcock 6.5, Julio Rubio 9, Lawrence Baureis 7, Levy Phillips 2, Jackson West 2, Tri Johnson 1.5, Hunter Griffin 1, Harley Bresnahan 1, Devon Doxey 1, Nathan McKee 1
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Fate Berry 4/28, Kaden Hughes 4/24, Tri Johnson 2.5/22, Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Diego Rubio 1.5/5, Julio Rubio .5/9, Landon Johnson 1/3, Matthew Cook .5/3, Nicholas Hitchcock .5/4.
INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1, Nathan McKee 2, Fate Berry 1
DEFENSIVE FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Hunter Kent 2, Diego Rubio 3, Nicholas Hitchcock 2, Nathan McKee 1, Landon Johnson 1,
BLOCKED PUNTS: Kaden Hughes 1
PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 28/1087/38.8/7, Matthew Cook 1/33/33
SCORING: Julio Rubio 90 (15 tds), Adam Martin 54 (9 td), Landon Johnson 36 (6 tds), Jackson Harrod 34 (34-37 PAT, 0-1 FG), Hunter Kent 18 (3 td), Nathan McKee 18 (3 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Fate Berry 6 (1 td), Matthew Cook 6 (1 td)
MARKEDTIME.COM PLAYERS OF WEEK
WEEK 10 vs LITTLE ROCK MILLS
OFFENSE – Adam Martin. DEFENSE – Nathan McKee
WEEK 9 vs RIVERVIEW
OFFENSE – Hunter Kent. DEFENSE – Diego Rubio
WEEK 8 vs SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE
OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Diego Rubio
WEEK 7 vs. BALD KNOB
OFFENSE – Landon Johnson. DEFENSE – Fate Berry
WEEK 6 vs. CAC
OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Kaden Hughes
WEEK 5 vs. STUTTGART
OFFENSE – Adam Martin. DEFENSE – Nathan McKee
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
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LITTLE ROCK – With a playoff berth and seeding secured for Heber Springs, the Panthers took care of business Friday night with a 28-14 victory over Little Rock Mills.
Earlier in the week the drama had been taken out of Friday’s night game when the Arkansas Activities Association ruled that the Comets had used an ineligible player forcing the Mills to forfeit all four of their wins, including all three conference contests. That ruling assured that the Panthers would be in the playoffs regardless of the outcome of Friday’s game.
Friday night Adam Martin passed for two touchdowns and ran for another while Nathan McKee caught one of those touchdown passes and also had an interception in the win.
The two teams traded possessions to open the contest before the Panthers took over on their own 47 driving to the Mills 13 before the drive stalled on fourth down.
The Comets took over and drove to the Heber Springs 47 after converting on a fourth-and-3 play. On the next play, Lavell Carnell connected with Zack Smith for a 47-yard scoring strike to make it 6-0 after the PAT kick failed with 11:01 to play in the half.
The Panthers responded with an 11-play, 60-yard drive that Martin capped with a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:51 to play in the first half. Jackson Harrod kicked the PAT and Heber Springs led, 7-6
The Panther defense got a stop on the Comets next possession stopping Mills on a fourth-and-3 own their own 40 for a two-yard loss. On the next play, Martin found Hunter Kent in stride for a 38-yard touchdown pass with 3:31 to play in the second quarter.
Mills had a response with a 55-yard drive that Carnell finished off with a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 9 seconds left in the half. Carnell added the two-point conversion to make it 14-all at the break.
Nicholas Hitchcock recovered the onside-kick attempt for Heber Springs to start the second half, and the Panthers appeared to be marching in for a score after Martin connected with Landon Johnson for a 29-yard gain on third-and-10 to move the ball to the Mills 15. But Martin was sacked for a 6-yard loss by Shon Moore forcing a third-and-14, Heber Springs was unable to convert turning the ball over on downs at the Comet 10.
The Panther defense came up big keeping Mills pinned inside the 10, including almost recording a safety on back-to-back to plays. Punting from his own end zone, Carnell shanked the punt giving Heber Springs a short field at the Comet 13.
Four plays later Julio Rubio punched the ball in from the 2 to make it 21-14 with 6:10 left in the third quarter.
Mills’ next drive stalled the Panther 38 when McKee stepped in front of the Carnell pass attempt at the 20 returning to the 36. But Heber Springs went backwards on the ensuing drive thanks in part to holding and false start penalties.
The Panthers got another turnover as junior Diego Rubio pounced on a loose football at the Heber Springs 46, the third straight week Rubio has recovered a fumble. Back-t0-back unsportsmanlike penalties against the Comets after the fumble, which led to the ejection of Carnell, gave the Panthers the ball on the 24.
On the ensuing play, Martin connected with McKee to put Heber Springs up 28-14 with 53 seconds left in the third.
Mills threatened again with 9:06 left after Julius Graves intercepted a Martin pass attempt at the Panther 21, but the Panther defense stiffened in the red zone forcing the Comets to turn the ball over on downs at the 9.
After a three-and-out, Mills got the ball back with 4:37 left at the Panther 40 and reached the Panther 7 with 1:02 to play but an incomplete pass on fourth down sealed the win for Heber Springs.
COACH WILL COX POSTGAME COMMENTS
SCORING
Heber Springs (4-3, 4-6) 0 14 0 0 - 14
Little Rock Mills (0-7, 0-10 0 14 14 0 - 28
SECOND QUARTER
Mills - Lavell Carnell to Zack Smith 47-yard pass (kick failed), 11:01
Heber Springs - Adam Martin 5-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 6:51
Heber Springs - Adam Martin to Hunter Kent 38-yard pass (Harrod kick), 3:31
Mills - Carnell 1-yard run (Carnell run), :09
THIRD QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 2-yard run (Harrod Kick), 6:10
Heber Springs - Martin to Nathan McKee 24-yard pass (Harrod kick), :53
OFFENSERUSHING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 12/39/3.3/1, Adam Martin 10/29/2.9/1, Team 4/(-10)/(-2.5), Landon Johnson 2/12/6. Mills, Lavell Carnell 16/45/2.8, Reggie Swinton II 13/41/3.2, Keilon Davis 7/34/8.0, G'Kyson Wright 5/1.
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (2), Adam Martin (1). Mills, Lavell Carnell (2), Reggie Swinton II (1)
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 19/29-176-2/1. Mills, Lavell Carnell 7/14-77-1/1, G'Kyson Wright 2/9-26-0/0
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 6/62/1, Landon Johnson 5/49, Hunter Kent 3/41/1, Matthew Cook 3/10, Fate Berry 1/12, Julio Rubio 1/2. Mills, Zack Smith 5/90/1, Keilon Davis 2/5, Kammarion Slade 1/6, Eugene Hinton 1/2.
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 205, Julio Rubio 39, Landon Johnson 12, Team (-10). Mills, Lavell Carnell 122, Reggie Swinton II 41, Keilon Davis 34, G'Kyson Wright 27.
PUNT RETURNS: Mills, Keilon Davis 1/11.
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/14, Hunter Kent 1/6. Mills, Keilon Davis 2/25, Tamarion Hunter 2/12.
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/16. Mills, Julius Graves 1/14
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 92, Landon Johnson 61, Hunter Kent 47, Julio Rubio 41, Adam Martin 29, Fate Berry 12, Matthew Cook 10. Mills, Zack Smith 90, Keilon Davis 75, Lavell Carnall 45, Reggie Swinton II 41, Tamarion Hunter 12, Kammarion Slade 6, Eugene Hinton 2, G'Kyson Wright 1.
DEFENSE TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 14/1/15, Lawrence Baureis 9/1/10, Fate Berry 7/2/9, Nathan McKee 7/2/9, Nicholas Hitchcock 6/2/8, Julio Rubio 4/3/7, Diego Rubio 7/0/7, Kaden Hughes 4/1/5, Matthew Cook 2/2/4, Dalton McCollum 3/0/3, Levy Phillips 2/0/2, Hunter Kent 2/0/2, Trevor Weathers 1/0/1, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 6, Lawrence Baureis 4, Kaden Hughes 2, Nicholas Hitchcock 2, Landon Johnson 1, Nathan McKee 1
SACKS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio .5, Landon Johnson .5. Mills, Eddie Brown 1/9, Shon Moore 1/6.
INTERCEPTIONS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee. Mills, Julius Graves
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Nicholas Hitchcock, Diego Rubio
PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 3/94/31.3. Mills, Lavell Carnall 2/33/22, G'Kyson Wright 1/38
PUNTS INSIDE 20: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1).
ALMA MATER
FINAL 4A-2 STANDINGS
W L CP W L PS PA
Riverview 5 2 52 7 3 337 278
Southside Batesville 5 2 54 7 3 340 246
Central Arkansas Christian 5 2 59 7 3 296 220
Lonoke 5 2 47 6 4 293 297
Heber Springs 4 3 41 4 6 274 300
Bald Knob 3 4 13 3 7 160 310
Stuttgart 1 7 13 1 9 238 341
Little Rock Mills 0 8 0 0 10 202 264
Friday, November 1
Central Arkansas Christian 34, Bald Knob 6
Heber Springs 49, Riverview 35
Lonoke 35, Stuttgart 28
Southside Batesville 50, Little Rock Mills 23
Thursday, November 7
Lonoke 26, Riverview 14
Central Arkansas Christian 28, Stuttgart 6
Friday, November 8
Bald Knob 27, Southside Batesville 22
Heber Springs 28, Little Rock Mills 14
CORRECTION FROM LAST WEEK: In preparing the playoff scenarios for the 4A-2 in Friday’s game preview, the conference point was incorrect for Riverview. With the forfeits by Mills, every team that played them in conference received 13 conference points. Riverview had defeated Mills by 10, 37-27, October 11 but those adjusted points were inadvertently left out of the conference totals in Friday’s preview.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: With Bald Knob’s win over Southside Batesville Friday night, it created a four-way tie at the top of the conference standings. As a result, Lonoke, Riverview, Southside Batesville and CAC all claim a share of the conference crown. It is the first conference title for Riverview. The fifth for CAC. The second for Southside Batesville and the 13th for Lonoke.
PLAYOFFS: No. 1 Riverview hosts Bauxite, No. 2 Southside Batesville hosts Star City, No. 3 CAC hosts Gentry, No. 4 Lonoke travels to Pea Ridge and No. 5 Heber Springs travels to Shiloh Christian.
Who do you want to see become the next University of Arkansas coach?
Mike Norvell, Memphis (33%, 44 Votes)
Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic (23%, 31 Votes)
Hugh Freeze, Liberty (8%, 10 Votes)
Other (8%, 10 Votes)
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota (6%, 8 Votes)
Matt Campbell, Iowa State (6%, 8 Votes)
Mike Leach, Washington State (5%, 7 Votes)
Matt Rhule, Baylor (4%, 5 Votes)
Eliah Drinkwitz, Appalachian State (3%, 4 Votes)
Dave Clawson, Wake Forest (2%, 3 Votes)
Luke Feckell, Cincinnati (2%, 2 Votes)
Chris Klieman, Kansas State (1%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 133
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Chad Morris was fired as head coach of the University of Arkansas football program one day after a disastrous 45-19 home loss to Western Kentucky.
The loss dropped the Razorbacks to 2-8 on the season and 4-18 under Morris in just under two seasons. Long-time Arkansas assistant and former player Barry Lunney Jr. has been named interim coach for the two remaining games on the schedule, a Nov. 23 date at No. 1 LSU and a game in Little Rock against Missouri on Nov. 29.
The news began circulating last night after the loss but was made official by the university this morning in an official release. No details of the buyout were included in the release.
For Razorback fans, this will be the second coaching search in as many years and the third since 2012. Arkansas is 1-21 against Southeastern Conference opponents since 2017 and with the program floundering, going 4-4 against non-Power 5 schools under Morris’ watch, the next hire will come at a pivotal time in Razorback football history.
With all of that said, many local and national pundits have already released lists of who they think Arkansas should hire, many are the same names that were bantered about two years ago when Morris was hired. The difference between that hire and this one is the man now in charge of the athletics department at the University of Arkansas — Hunter Yurachek.
So to be perfectly honest, many of these people don’t know what they are talking about, just like me. They can only make guesses and assumptions, like me.
It should noted, that one should not expect a hire until after the completion of the regular season and that many names are going to appear and disappear. Agents will use the Arkansas job to get their clients raises (and will intentionally float their client’s names), boosters will float and leak names in an effort to get momentum for someone of interest to them or to gauge the interest of the fans and out of work coaches will express interest publicly because they have nothing to lose.
With that said, the only tangible evidence that we have to go by into what Yurachek might be thinking is the two hires he has made since taking over the department – Eric Musselman for men’s basketball and Jordyn Wieber for gymnastics.
Musselman came to Arkansas from Nevada where he lead a mid-major program to success. He had previously been an assistant at LSU after years in the professional ranks where he followed his father’s footsteps into coaching at the professional level. Musselman is a high-energy guy that is detail oriented and consistently studies the game.
Wieber is young and without head coaching experience, but was hired after helping guide UCLA to a 2018 national title as a volunteer assistant. She has competed and excelled at the highest levels of her sport, winning a Gold Medal at the 2012 Olympics as well as being the U.S. all-around champion in 2011 and 2012. Her name is well-known and well-respected in the gymnastics community instantly creating a buzz for the Razorback program when she was hired.
So what can we take from these hires? Obviously the basketball hire was well-followed by the fans and the media. Musselman was not near the top, nor was he on many of the lists, when the news broke that Mike Anderson had been fired last spring.
Though football is the “cash cow” for the athletic department so the parameters may vary to some degree, but with a mindset along Yurachek’s previous hires, here are a list of candidates, keeping in mind with my analysis that is nothing more than an educated (insert jokes here) guess going on the assumptions that fit that bill of previous Yurachek hires at Arkansas (high energy, competed or coached at highest levels, well-respected in profession, attention to detail).
SILLY NAMES, CROSS THEM OFF NOW
ANAYSIS: I am not going to their backgrounds, Razorback fans should already know them, so I am going to give you a list of names to scratch off now because they are not going to happen, Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino. Sure many long for the good times with those coaches, but not going to happen with either one. And just like last time, I am sure Jon Gruden will be seen in Fayetteville, but not going to happen.
Seemingly the leader out of the gate this time around, Norvell has Arkansas connections having played under Clint Conque at the University of Central Arkansas and starting his coaching career at UCA. His wife is also from the state. After serving as an assistant at Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arizona State, Norvell has led Memphis to a 34-15 and two American Athletic Conference Championships. BACKGROUND: Offensive: PROS: Young and energetic. Has Arkansas connections. Continued the success of his predecessor, Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente. Reportedly has a low buyout. CONS: Hasn’t built a program from the bottom nor does he have any professional experience. There were rumors floating when his name was bantered about when Morris was hired. Could they still be out there? ANALYSIS: He could wind up in Fayetteville.
Leach was a hot name the last time around with many pundits linking him to the Arkansas job. The same this time around. Leach has a career record of 137-88, with a current record of 53-45 in Pullman. He was successful at Texas Tech becoming the school’s all-time wins leader there before controversy ended his tenure in Lubbock. BACKGROUND: Offensive. PROS: Leach has only had two losing seasons as a head coach. His first and third seasons at Washington State. Led the Cougars to 11 wins in 2018. CONS: A sub-par 2019 campaign has the Cougars in danger of not reaching a bowl game (only one win in conference). Controversy has also followed him at both stops. ANALYSIS: Too much controversy, to make him the right fit for Arkansas.
An Arkansas high school coaching legend, was linked to the job the last time around. BACKGROUND: Offensive. PROS: SEC experience. Very well-known in Arkansas. CONS: Used the Arkansas job the last time to get a raise from Auburn. ANALYSIS: Not going to happen. His name is thrown out there because pundits need names to fill copy.
Currently the head coach at Florida Atlantic where his teams have won 11 games in 2017, 5 games in 2018 and set at 7-3 this season. BACKGROUND: Offensive. PROS: SEC experience at a head coach at Tennessee. Head-coaching experience in the NFL. Has some experience in the state having lived in Fayetteville before the age of 5 while has dad, Monte Kiffin, was serving as defensive coordinator under Lou Holtz. CONS: Kiffin is another controversial figure. Hasn’t coach anywhere longer than four seasons. ANALYSIS: Kiffin definitely fits the criteria with NFL experience. He could end up as coach at Arkansas, but much like Leach, will the controversy will cost him a chance in the end?
It seems that Gundy’s names has been mentioned in every coach in the past decade, probably because it has. ANALYSIS: If hasn’t happened yet, don’t see that changing now.
The former Oklahoma coach, and current XFL Dallas Renegades coach. BACKGROUND: Defensive. PROS: Won a National Title at Oklahoma. Experience. CONS: Retired from Oklahoma stating he was tired of recruiting. Was linked to Florida State job earlier this week and turned it down. ANALYSIS: Stoops is mentioned because you at least make a call to see if he is interested. If he wants the job, throw the bank at him. Not going to happen though.
Former Arkansas State and Ole Miss head coach, currently at FBS Liberty University, 5-3 record up to this point. BACKGROUND: Offensive. PROS: Did well at Ole Miss including beating Alabama. Coached in the state. CONS: Controversy surrounded his tenure at Ole Miss. ANALYSIS: Freeze would jump at the opportunity to take the job. As with Leach and Kiffin, will the controversial past be what the program needs? He could end up on the Hill, but I don’t see it though Yuracheck was part of the committee that brought Kelvin Sampson to Houston.
Former Arizona and Michigan coach is only mentioned because he was in a national pundit’s top 5 candidates. BACKGROUND: Offensive. ANALYSIS: Going to save the space, he is only being mentioned because he would jump at the opportunity. Name floated and bait taken by pundit. Not going to happen.
The former Louisiana Tech and California coach took over for Chad Morris at SMU. BACKGROUND: Offensive. ANALYSIS: SMU gave Dykes a second chance and he has rewarded the program nicely, I just can’t see Arkansas going back to SMU for this coaching hire.
THE PROVEN UP-AND-COMERS (SUCCEEDED A MORE THAN PROGRAM)
The current University of Minnesota and former Western Michigan coach is a hot name everywhere. BACKGROUND: Offensive. PROS: Led Western Michigan to the Cotton Bowl and 12-win season before taking over Minnesota where he has led the Gophers to an undefeated mark this season. High energy guy. Former NFL assistant coach. Checks all of the Yurachek boxes. Built programs up. Young. CONS: Just signed a contract extension with a $10 million dollar buyout. ANALYSIS: Just signed a contract extension, so if he name gets mentioned, then you would know he was a serious candidate. He should top every AD’s wish list and with that he could end up in Fayetteville if wants to end up in Fayetteville.
The current Baylor coach has remarkable turnarounds at both Baylor and Temple. BACKGROUND: Multiple. PROS: Turned a once dormant Temple program into a conference champion before taking over a Baylor program that was rocked by scandal. NFL experience. CONS: Could be waiting to take over at Penn State, which could be happening soon if rumors connecting current Penn State coach James Franklin are true. ANALYSIS: Proven to rebuild programs quickly, just what Arkansas needs. Another candidate that if he wants the job, you give it to him. I don’t think it happens because I think the dominoes will fall and ends up in Happy Valley.
Razorback fans may remember Campbell when his Toledo team came into Little Rock and downed the Razorbacks in 2015. He used that season to get the Iowa State job. BACKGROUND: Offensive. PROS: Turned around Toledo and has made Iowa State respectable. Definitely a high energy guy, runs the student section before home games. CONS: Hasn’t pushed Iowa State past the eight-win mark, but not many have. ANALYSIS: Campbell played at Division III powerhouse Mount Union, so there isn’t the lure of coaching at his alma mater. Turned down a chance to interview for the New York Jets in 2018 so seems content in the college game. If he wants the Arkansas job, would be his.
Clawson has worked his way through the college ranks and currently has Wake Forest at 7-2 and ranked this season. BACKGROUND: Offensive. PROS: Has won conference titles at Fordham, Richmond and Bowling Green. Coached one season as OC at Tennessee. Has taken Wake Forest to three consecutive bowl games. CONS: Never coached west of the Mississippi so his recruiting ties would be on the east coast. ANALYSIS: Not the splashiest as some of the other proven up-and-comers, but would be a solid hire if Arkansas were to gauge his interest.
Harsin’s name appears because he coached one season at Arkansas State before landing at Boise State, and by default gets mentioned. ANALYSIS: Harsin is from Boise, played quarterback at Boise State and seems to be at home. Yuracheck would surely listen if Harsin was interested, but just can’t see him leaving home.
Going 69-6, including four FCS National Titles, at North Dakota State got Klieman the job at Kansas State, where he has the Wildcats at 6-3. ANALYSIS: Paid his dues in the lower levels of college coaching before finally getting the opportunity at Kansas State. It would be hard to see Klieman leave after one season at the helm.
Fickell is an intriguing candidate having served as head coach at his alma mater, Ohio State, on interim basis (replacing Jim Tressell). After his one season in which the Buckeyes went 6-7, Fickell stayed on the staff at Ohio State before landing the Cincinnati job in 2017. His Bearcats went 4-8 his first season before going 11-2 in 2018 and 8-1 this season. ANALYSIS: Would be a very intriguing hire to say the least, could he be waiting for Ohio State again if Ryan Day decided to turn his attention back to the professional ranks or would he like an opportunity to prove that Buckeyes wrong? Cincinnati is a future nonconference opponent for Arkansas.
Spent one season as assistant head coach at Arkansas State before heading to Ole Miss. ANALYSIS: Has Indiana at 7-2 on the year and that is enough to garner attention, but that is coming back-to-back 5-7 campaigns. He would be reach at this point.
Drinkwitz’ name will get a lot of attention just because of his ties to the state. The former Alma Airedale played at Arkansas Tech and was a coach at Alma and Springdale before assistant coaching stops at Auburn, Arkansas State, Boise State and North Carolina State. ANALYSIS: Took over a program that was on very solid ground when Scott Satterfield left for Louisville. In his first season as head coach, he has Mountaineers at 8-1 overall, including a win over South Carolina on Saturday. With only one season for a body of work, this probably not the right time for Drinkwitz.
Clark rebuilt the UAB program from scratch and has went 31-17 at the school, including 6-3 season. The long time high school coach has been in college coaching since 2008. ANALYSIS: Though Clark has done wonders at UAB, his extensive high school background might be a tough sell with Razorback fans after the Morris saga.
The Furman graduate has his Rajin’ Cajuns at 7-2 in his second season as head coach, after a 7-7 campaign last year. ANALYSIS: Spent time as an assistant at both Clemson and Alabama, but his limited experience will turn off many fans.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
This list above is just that, a list. It is like many that you see and read over the coming weeks. Names will be dropped, airplanes will be tracked and the craziness is about to ensue. Could the next coach at Arkansas not be on the list? Absolutely. A fired NFL coach could garner attention. Though I don’t think Arkansas can afford to go with an unproven assistant coach, it could be a hot shot college or pro assistant. One thing is certain, Yurachek will keep things close to his chest and odds are he is been putting together a list already. Other coaching changes will also effect things. One thing is certain, the next coach is going to have to hire a more complete staff, win the press conference with plain talk and not just Twitter hastags, and he is going to have to show a complete commitment to the program and the state. So just hang on the for the ride.
W L CP W L PS PA
Southside Batesville 5 1 54 7 2 318 219
Central Arkansas Christian 5 2 59 7 3 296 220
Riverview 5 2 49 7 3 337 278
Lonoke 5 2 47 6 4 293 297
Heber Springs 3 3 28 3 6 246 286
Bald Knob 2 4 8 2 7 133 288
Stuttgart 1 6 13 1 9 238 341
Little Rock Mills 0 6 0 0 9 188 236
Friday, November 1
Central Arkansas Christian 34, Bald Knob 6
Heber Springs 49, Riverview 35
Lonoke 35, Stuttgart 28
Southside Batesville 50, Little Rock Mills 23
Thursday, November 7
Lonoke 26, Riverview 14
Central Arkansas Christian 28, Stuttgart 6
Friday, November 8
Bald Knob at Southside Batesville
Heber Springs at Little Rock Mills
PLAYOFFS
Due to Little Rock Mills forfeiting four wins due to the use of an ineligible player on Monday and Thursday’s results, Heber Springs is locked in the No. 5 seed regardless of the outcome of tonight’s contest with Little Rock Mills. The rest of the conference seeding is set as well, the seeding will be: No. 1 Southside Batesville, No. 2 Riverview, No. 3 Central Arkansas Christian, No. 4 Lonoke and No. 5 Heber Springs.
The only thing left to be determined is if Southside Batesville clinches the outright conference title or has to share it with Riverview, CAC and Lonoke. The seeding will not change regardless of the outcomes.
Playoff Match-Ups for 2A-4
DeWitt at Southside Batesville, Star City at Riverview, Gentry/Gravette/Prairie Grove at Central Arkansas Christian, Lonoke at Pea Ridge/Shiloh Christian loser, and Heber Springs at Pea Ridge/Shiloh Christian winner.
CONSECUTIVE STREAK: Heber Springs has qualified for the playoffs for six straight seasons, and 13 out of the last 14 years.
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX
GAME NOTES
THE SERIES: Heber Springs leads the series 1-0.
SERIES HISTORY: Though this is the second time the Panthers have faced Little Rock Mills, Heber Springs did play the two of the schools that consolidated to form Mills University Studies. The Panthers went 0-4 from 1955 through 1959 against Little Rock Fuller, and 0-3-1 against Mabelvale from 1955 through 1958.
CLOSE TO A THOUSAND: Julio Rubio needs 43 yards rushing tonight against Little Rock Mills to top the 1,000-yard mark this season. The senior has carried the ball 164 times this season for 957 yards with 14 touchdowns.
WINS, BUT NOT REALLY: Mills had won four games before the forfeiting those contests because of the use of an ineligible player earlier this week. The Comets, under first-year coach Cortez Lee — the former Pine Bluff Dollarway head coach, had defeated Jacksonville in nonconference play, before beating Central Arkansas Christian, Lonoke and Stuttgart.
MISTAKES: Heber Springs is 2-1 on the season when committing 5 or less infractions, and 1-5 when being flagged more than five times. The lone loss was at Greenbrier when Heber Springs was flagged only four times, but turned the ball over three times in that contest.
SON OF FORMER NFL PLAYER: Mills’ Reggie Swinton II is the son of former Dallas Cowboy Reggie Swinton.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: NATE DEARMOND
SEASON STATS
Heber Springs 54 76 40 76 - 246 (27.3)
Opponent 46 83 90 67 - 286 (31.8)
TEAM First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 94, Opponent 102
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 55, Opponent 51
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 7, Opponent 10
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 156, Opponent 162
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 52/110 (47.3), Opponent 38/97 (39.2)
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 12/29 (41.4), Opponent 13/25 (52)
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 23/30 (76.7) (23 tds), Opponent 28/36 (77.8) (26 tds, 2 FG)
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 16/8, Opponent 15/7
Turnovers: Heber Springs 15, Opponent 10
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 41, Opponent 28
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 73/545, Opponent 60/609
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 555/3281/5.9, Opponent 540/3046/5.6
Rushing: Heber Springs 367/1914/5.2, Opponent 393/1876/4.8
Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 212.7, Opponent 208.4
Passing: Heber Springs 107/182-1366-10/7, Opponent 100/167-1208-16/3
Completion Percentage: Heber Springs 58.8, Opponent 59.9
Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 151.8, Opponent 134.2
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 19/107, Opponent 10/49
Punts: Heber Springs 26/1026/39.5, Opponent 26/893/34.4
Blocked Punts: Heber Springs 1
INDIVIDUAL OFFENSE RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Julio Rubio 164/957/5.8/106.3/14, Adam Martin 151/698/4.6/77.6/7, Landon Johnson 50/227/4.5/25.2/5, Levy Phillips 4/21, Nathan McKee 1/6, Diego Rubio 1/2, Tri Johnson 1/(-2), Team 2/(-41)
RUNS OF 50+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam, Martin 1
RUNS OF 40+: Julio Rubio 3 Adam Martin 1
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 5, Adam Martin 2
RUNS OF 20+: Julio Rubio 9, Adam Martin 7, Landon Johnson 1
RUNS OF 10+: Adam Martin 23, Julio Rubio 23, Landon Johnson 4, Levy Phillips 1
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Julio Rubio 5, Adam Martin 3
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 107/182-1366-10/7
250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Matthew Cook 19/188/9.9/1, Nathan McKee 18/212/11.8/2, Landon Johnson 16/212/13.3/2, Fate Berry 13/182/14/1, Hunter Kent 13/170/13.1/2, Tri Johnson 12/208/17.3/2, Julio Rubio 12/143/11.9, Jackson West 1/18, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Hunter Kent 1, Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 2064/229.3, Julio Rubio 957/106.3, Landon Johnson 227/25.2, Levy Phillips 21, Nathan McKee 6, Diego Rubio 2, Tri Johnson (-2), Team (-41)
KICKOFF RETURNS: Tri Johnson 8/170/21.3, Matthew Cook 4/62/15.5, Hunter Kent 5/46/9.2, Julio Rubio 3/44/14.7, Levy Phillips 4/37/9.3, Jackson West 4/39/9.8, Diego Rubio 2/37/18.5, Nathan McKee 5/65/13, Lawrence Baureis 1/10, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 6, Tristan Thissen 1/0.
PUNT RETURNS: Nathan McKee 3/12, Tri Johnson 1/(-3)
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Nathan McKee 1/10, Dalton McCollum 1/4, Fate Berry 1/2
FUMBLE RETURNS: Matthew Cook 1/4
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 1037/129.6, Adam Martin 698/77.6, Tri Johnson 373/53.3, Landon Johnson 438/48.7, Nathan McKee 305/33.9, Matthew Cook 254/28.2, Fate Berry 184/23, Hunter Kent 216/24, Diego Rubio 47/5.9, Jackson West 57/6.3, Levy Phillips 58/7.3, Lawrence Baureis 10/1.7, Harley Bresnahan 6/1, Dalton McCollum 13/1.6,
DEFENSE TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 66/24/90, Landon Johnson 56/25/81, Diego Rubio 40/13/53, Kaden Hughes 27/13/40, Hunter Kent 27/11/38, Nathan McKee 26/11/37, Levy Phillips 22/11/33, Lawrence Baureis 21/9/30, Matthew Cook 25/5/30, Nicholas Hitchcock 21/6/27, Jackson West 22/4/26, Tri Johnson 9/5/14, Dalton McCollum 8/5/13, Julio Rubio 9/3/12, Harley Bresnhan 6/4/10, Trevor Weathers 7/1/8, Preston Jones 2/2/5, Harley Hannah 3/2/5, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Devon Doxey 3/1/4, Tristan Thissen 1/2/3, Trent Barnes 2/1/3, Jackson Harrod 2/1/3, Nate Dearmond 0/1/1, Spencer Evans 1/0/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Fate Berry 15, Landon Johnson 14.5, Kaden Hughes 9.5, Diego Rubio 7, Nicholas Hitchcock 4.5, Julio Rubio 3, Lawrence Baureis 3, Levy Phillips 2, Jackson West 2, Tri Johnson 1.5, Hunter Griffin 1, Harley Bresnahan 1, Devon Doxey 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Fate Berry 4/28, Kaden Hughes 4/24, Tri Johnson 2.5/22, Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Diego Rubio 1/5, Julio Rubio .5/9, Landon Johnson .5/3, Matthew Cook .5/3, Nicholas Hitchcock .5/4.
INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1, Nathan McKee 1, Fate Berry 1
DEFENSIVE FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Hunter Kent 2, Diego Rubio 2, Nicholas Hitchcock 1, Nathan McKee 1, Landon Johnson 1,
BLOCKED PUNTS: Kaden Hughes 1
PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 25/993/39.7/6, Matthew Cook 1/33/33
SCORING: Julio Rubio 84 (14 tds), Adam Martin 48 (8 td), Landon Johnson 36 (6 tds), Jackson Harrod 30 (30-33 PAT, 0-1 FG), Hunter Kent 12 (2 td), Nathan McKee 12 (2 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Fate Berry 6 (1 td), Matthew Cook 6 (1 td)
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: BRANDON TATE
MARKEDTIME.COM PLAYERS OF WEEK
WEEK 9 vs RIVERVIEW
OFFENSE – Hunter Kent. DEFENSE – Diego Rubio
WEEK 8 vs SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE
OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Diego Rubio
WEEK 7 vs. BALD KNOB
OFFENSE – Landon Johnson. DEFENSE – Fate Berry
WEEK 6 vs. CAC
OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Kaden Hughes
WEEK 5 vs. STUTTGART
OFFENSE – Adam Martin. DEFENSE – Nathan McKee
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
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HEBER SPRINGS – The Heber Springs Panthers accomplished what they needed too in a 47-6 4A-2 victory over Little Rock Mills, and even left with a couple of records.
Coming into Friday night’s contest at Panther Stadium against winless Little Rock Mills, Heber Springs coach Darren Gowen had said he was more concerned about his team, how they played and more importantly, that his team just had fun.
It would be easy to say that happened on a night that seniors were honored before the game.
Senior running back Blaze Nelson rushed eight times for 198 yards and four touchdowns while the defense held Mills to 80 yards of total offense in the first half as the Panthers built up a 40-0 lead at the break and emptied the bench in the second half.
“We got everybody in there, even the foreign exchange students,” Gowen said. “It was great to take care of business like we needed to, get everybody on the field, stay healthy and get ready for the playoffs.”
Heber Springs (6-4, 6-1 in 4A-2) almost got a gift from the Central Arkansas Christian Mustangs on Friday night, but a last second field goal that would have sent that game into overtime fell short as Stuttgart claimed a 30-27 victory and the overall conference crown — a Ricebird loss would have given the Panthers a share of the 4A-2 title.
Heber Springs will head into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and host Pocahontas (4-6) Friday night at 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium.
Against the Comets, it didn’t take long for the Panthers to strike. After a 15-yard run by senior Dalton Hall on the games first play from scrimmage, Nelson raced past the Mills defenders for a 65-yard score. The Julian Cameron PAT kick made it 7-0 with 11:27 to play in the first quarter.
Mills followed with a nine-play drive that netted only seven yards but ate more than three minutes off the clock before Heber Springs would take over on Comet 44. After a pair of Nelson runs, Adam Martin connected with senior Rocky Finney for a 19-yard completion that put the ball on the 2. From there, Nelson would run up the middle to make 14-0 with 5:52 left in the first quarter.
Mills (0-10, 0-7) then put together a 14-play, 61-yard drive that netted nearly all of its first-half offense and pushed the ball to the Panther 18. But the Heber Springs first-team defense, which has allowed only four touchdowns during the Panther’s five-game winning streak to close the regular season, stopped the Comets a yard short on fourth-and-2.
Nelson took over from the carrying twice before finally breaking free on his third carry of the drive for a 76-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0 with 10:07 left to play in the first half.
Sophomore Matthew Cook got the ball right back for Heber Springs when he stepped in front of Braelon Adams pass attempt on the Comets first play from scrimmage on the drive and returned it 27 yards.
The Panthers didn’t waste any time as Martin hit Finney in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-0 with 9:28 left in the second quarter.
After a three-and-out, Hall tackled the Mills punter in the end zone for a safety to make it 30-0 at the 7:38 mark.
On the ensuing possession after the Comet free kick, Nelson raced 23 yards to score his 26th rushing touchdown of the season to make it 37-0 Heber Springs with 5:17 left in the half. The 26 rushing touchdowns by Nelson ties a school record set by Braylon Mitchell in 2009.
Heber Springs would add one more score in the first half when Cameron connected on a 35-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds left on the clock.
With the Arkansas Activities Association Mercy Rule in effect in the second half, Heber Springs added one more score when sophomore Diego Rubio scored on a 17-yard run. Seth Dickeson hit the PAT kick to make 47-0 with 8:38 left in the third.
Mills’ Demetrius Abernathy set the final score with a six-yard run with 43 seconds to play in the third quarter.
Rushing: Heber Springs, Blaze Nelson 8-198-4, Jackson West 5-17, Diego Rubio 4-31-1, Levy Phillips 4-31, Adam Martin 3-4, Dalton Hall 1-15. Mills, Braelon Adams 14-84, Terryn Withers 9-20, Malik Bean 4-33, Demetrius Abernathy 2-14, Favionne Bell 1-4, Logan Archer 1-(-2), Landen Epps 1-(-10).
Passing: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 4-5 67 1-0. Mills, Braleon Adams 5-11 54 0-2.
Receiving: Heber Springs, Rocky Finney 2-51-1, Seth Dickeson 1-9, Landon Johnson 1-7. Mills, Jaden Withers 4-42, Malik Bean 1-12.