Heber Springs’ Gavin Widner fights off the tackle attempt of Bald Knob’s Devin Quinn in seventh-grade football action Thursday night in Bald Knob. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
By PHILIP SEATON
BALD KNOB – The Heber Springs Panther Cubs improved to 4-2 on the season with a 28-14 victory over Bald Knob Thursday night.
Heber Springs struck first as Jacob Haskett scored on an 11-yard run with 14:42 left in the first half. The 2-point pass failed as the Panther Cubs led 6-0.
Heber Springs quarterback Emmett Dwyer.
Heber Springs would scored again to go up 14-0 with 3:55 left in the first half as Emmett Dwyer connected with Haskett for a short-pass completion with Haskett doing the rest racing past several Bulldog defenders for a 91-yard touchdown. Dwyer connected with Eli Buffalo for the 2-point conversion.
Bald Knob pulled to within a score early in the second half as Bulldog quarterback Dakota Shoebottom broke a pair of tackles and rambled 69 yards for a touchdown with 18:51 left in the half. The 2-point pass failed.
Heber Springs would go up 22-6 with 12:50 left as Dwyer found Cooper Holmes for a 60-yard touchdown pass. Dwyer would run in the 2-point conversion.
Heber Springs’ Jacob Haskett
Dyce Young recovered a Bald Knob fumble on the Bulldogs next possession, but the Panthers turned the ball over ending that scoring threat.
Heber Springs added another score on a 5-yard touchdown run by Eli Buffalo with 3:59 left. The 2-point conversion failed.
Bald Knob added a late score to settle the final score as Shoebottom scrambled for a 58-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left. Shoebottom connected with Kaden Posey for the 2-point conversion.
Heber Springs returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Southside Batesville.
Heber Springs’ Seth Dudeck looks to get past Bald Knob’s Kaden Posey. PHILIP SEATON PHOTOHeber Springs’ Eli Buffalo (5) and Lowell Smith (78). PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs’ Dalton Yancey looks for running room against CAC Thursday night at Panther Stadium. Yancey finished the night with four receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown in the Junior Panthers, 49-26, victory over the Mustangs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
By PHILIP SEATON
Liam Buffalo passed for more than 300 yards and Parker Brown had three touchdown receptions as Heber Springs improved to 4-1 on the season with a 49-26 victory over Central Arkansas Christian Thursday at Panther Stadium in 2-4A junior high play.
The two teams combined for 755 yards of total offense (417 for Heber Springs and 238 for CAC), but early on it was defensive stand that help put the Panthers on the scoreboard first.
After the Mustangs took the opening kickoff and drove from their own 36 to the Panther 17, Heber Springs stopped the drive on fourth down as Grayson Wilson’s pass attempt fell short for the Mustangs.
Four plays later, Buffalo connected with Dalton Yancey for a 70-yard touchdown strike. Gideon Tate kicked the PAT and Heber Springs led 7-0 with 1:30 left in the opening quarter.
After the two team traded three-and-outs, CAC took the ground on the Panther 47 and used an 11-play (all rushes), 5:39 drive, to pull within a point at 7-6 with 1:22 left in the half. The 2-point conversion failed.
Heber Springs wasn’t finished in the half as Buffalo took the snap at the buzzer rolled to his left and found Hud Haggard in the back of the end zone for the score. A Buffalo 24-yard run had set-up the score, but the key play on the drive came on the play before as Buffalo connected with Xander Lindley on a fourth-and-1 from the CAC 45 for a 13-yard completion.
The Panthers would go up 21-6 to start the second half when Buffalo connected with Brown for a 27-yard touchdown with 6:09 left in the third. But the key play on the drive came on a fourth-and-1 from the Panther 25 when Buffalo hit Yancey for a 37-yard, first-down pass completion.
That six-play drive would be the longest of the second half until the waning seconds of the game as the two teams traded scoring jabs with one exception.
Wilson would connect with Caden Rhoads for a 41-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-12 with 4:18 left in the third.
On the ensuing kick off, Lindley returned it 81 yards for the quick answer at the 4:06 mark.
Heber Springs’ Weston Warden.
A minute later, Wilson hit Renalson Sullivan for a 55-yard touchdown reception for make it 28-18 with 3:06 left in the third.
With 55.5 seconds left in the quarter, Buffalo found Brown for a 30-yard scoring play putting the Panthers up 35-18 to start the fourth.
On a fourth-and-12 from the Panther 40 on the ensuing drive, Wilson connected with Vance Strange for a 10-yard completion, but the Panthers held and four plays later Heber Springs would go up 42-18 as Buffalo again found Brown this time for a 60-yard score to make it 42-18 with 6:08 to play.
Wilson connected with Sullivan again, this time for a 35-yard touchdown pass, to make it 42-26 with 4:40 left in the contest.
Heber Springs would go the ground and pick up the final points of the game as Tate would score on a 15-yard run with 2:22 left. Tate added the PAT kick to finish the night a perfect seven-for-seven.
Buffalo , who had 344 yards of total offense, finished the night completing 15 of 25 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns. Brown caught seven of those passes for 142 yards and three scores while Yancey had four receptions for 128 yards and a score.
For CAC, Wilson was 10 of 19 passing for 231 yards and five touchdowns. Sullivan finished with five receptions for 129 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Mustangs.
Heber Springs will look to improve to 3-1 in conference play on Thursday when the Panthers travel to Bald Knob for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Heber Springs offensive line looks to the sideline for the play. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs’ Lucas Garcia carries the football against Central Arkansas Christian Thursday night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Kevin Williams rushed for a two touchdowns in leading Central Arkansas Christian to a 22-0 victory over Heber Springs in seventh-grade football action Thursday night at Panther Stadium.
Williams, the son of NFL Hall of Fame nominee Kevin Williams, put CAC up 6-0 with 15:32 left in the first half on a 12-yard touchdown run.
Williams’ second touchdown run of 11-yards made it 12-0 with 5:50 left in the half. Jacob Henry added the 2-point run to put the Mustangs up 14-0.
Henry would score on a 36-yard run with 53 seconds left in the first half while Williams would run in the 2-point conversion as CAC led 22-0 at the break.
Neither team would score in the second half.
With the loss, the Panther Cubs fall to 3-2 on the season and will look to rebound next week on the road at Bald Knob.
Heber Springs’ Weston Warden runs past Stuttgart’s Devontae Clark (4) and Cade Coats (22) for a first-half score Thursday night in Stuttgart. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
By PHILIP SEATON
STUTTGART -Stuttgart took advantage of three Heber Springs turnovers and used a persistent ground game to hand the junior Panthers a 28-14 setback Thursday night.
It was the first lost on the season for Heber Springs (3-1, 1-1).
Stuttgart rushed 40 times for 241 yards with the bulk of that coming from DeVontae Clark (22 carries for 85 yards) and quarterback Landon Melynchuck (11 carries for 108 yards).
The game was scoreless early on as Stuttgart threatened early after the Ricebirds’ Trez Hammond picked off Heber Springs’ Liam Buffalo at the Panther 41 and returned it 27 yards. But the Heber Springs defense stiffened stopping the scoring threat as Parker Brown sacked Melynchuck for an 11-yard loss on fourth down.
Four straight incompletions by Heber Springs gave the Ricebirds the ball back at the Panther 27, and three plays later Melynchuck rushed 11 yards for the score to make it 6-0 Stuttgart with 23 seconds left in the opening quarter. The 2-point conversion failed.
Heber Springs responded to go up 7-6 on its next drive. A five-play, 42-yard drive was capped off when Buffalo connected with Weston Warden for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Gideon Tate added the PAT kick with 7:05 left in the half.
An 11-yard touchdown run by Melynchuck with 3:22 left in the second quarter put Stuttgart up 12-7. After another interception by the Stuttgart defense, Clark would score on a 10-yard run to put the Ricebirds up 20-7 at the half.
Heber Springs threatened in the third quarter but Buffalo was picked off by Matthew Luster at the Ricebird 3 with 2:43 left in the quarter. Five plays later, Clark would push his way into the end zone to make it 28-7 (after the Ricebirds completed the 2-point conversion on a run by Hammond) with 1:12 left in the third.
The Panthers would add a late score as Buffalo connected with Dalton Yancey on an 18-yard pass with 2:24 left in the contest. Tate added the PAT kick.
Buffalo finished the night 12 of 29 passing for 122 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Panthers will look to bounce back on Thursday when they host Central Arkansas Christian at Panther Stadium.
Heber Springs’ Dalton Yancey looks to get past Stuttgart’s Trez Hammond in junior high action Thursday night. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs’ Eli Buffalo runs for a big gain against Stuttgart Thursday night in Stuttgart. Pursuing Buffalo is Suttgart’s Quaterion Johnson. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
By PHILIP SEATON
STUTTGART – The Heber Springs 7th-Grade Panthers improved to 3-1 on the season with an 8-0 win over Stuttgart on Thursday.
The Panther Cubs got all of the points they would need on their first possession of the game. After forcing Stuttgart to a three-and-out on defense, Heber Springs took over possession in their own territory before Eli Buffalo broke off a 30-yard run to put the ball at the Stuttgart 25. Two plays later, Emmett Dwyer connected with Lucas Garcia for a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it 6-0 with 16:37 left in the first half. Dwyer connected with Buffalo for the 2-point conversion.
Heber Springs’ threatened to score again in the second half after Seth Dudeck picked off a Stuttgart pass attempt near midfield, but the Panther Cubs were unable to score.
Heber Springs’ returns to action on Thursday when they host Central Arkansas Christian at Panther Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
Heber Springs’ Lucas Garcia springs past Stuttgart’s Quaterion Johnson for a 25-yard touchdown reception in the first half of the Panther Cubs, 8-0, win on Thursday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs’ Xander Lindley runs through a tackle attempt by a pair of Lonoke defenders on his way to a 37-yard touchdown Thursday at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
By PHILIP SEATON
With Lonoke starting quarterback Bradon Allen moved up to the senior high team, the Heber Springs Junior Panthers took full advantage of his absence scoring 33 first-half points en route to a 40-6 victory over Lonoke Thursday night at Panther Stadium.
Heber Springs improved to 3-0 on the season, but more importantly opened 2-4A conference play with a victory.
“We had a great game,” Heber Springs coach James Ortiz said. “We were prepared. We watched a lot of film during the week. Our guys were focused. We were ready to win and that’s all there is to it.”
In Allen’s absence, the Panthers were able to limit Lonoke to 21 yards of total offense, including 1 of 4 passing for one yard.
Freshman Xander Lindley had a big night scoring three times and finishing with 166 all-purpose yards for Heber Springs.
Heber Springs’ Corbin Jones.
After Liam Buffalo opened the scoring for the Panthers with a 6-yard run to make it 6-0 with 5:12 left in the first quarter, Lindley would score the next three times Heber Springs had possession – a 27-yard run with 3.2 seconds left in the first, a 23-yard reception with 6:53 in the second and a 37-yard reception with 2:51 left in the half – as the Panthers built a 26-0 lead.
Lindley also had a hand in Heber Springs’ next score after he recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to give the Panthers the ball on the Lonoke 40. Three plays later, Weston Warden raced 31 yards to make it 33-0 (after the Gideon Tate PAT kick) with 2:07 left in the half.
Lonoke managed to get on the board late in the half on a seven-play, 61-yard drive that Tripp Sullivan capped off with a 1-yard run with no time left on the clock. Lonoke picked up it’s only first downs of the night on the drive with two those coming on runs and three coming on Panther penalties.
Heber Springs got on the board again on its first possession of the second half as Zachary Parker connected with Dalton Yancey on a 52-yard scoring pass to make it 40-6. Tate added the PAT.
Buffalo was effective on the night for the Panthers completing 11 of 15 pass attempts for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Lindley caught five of the Buffalo offerings for 139 yards while Yancey added four receptions for 74 yards.
Warden paced Heber Springs on the ground with 56 yards while Tate rushed for 42 yards as the Panthers finished with 369 yards of total offense.
Heber Springs will travel to Stuttgart for a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday with the Ricebirds.
Heber Springs’ Gideon Tate runs with the ball in the second half. Also pictured, for Lonoke, Jackson Miller (26)
STATS
Lonoke 0 6 0 0 - 6
Heber Springs 12 21 7 0 - 40
FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 6-yard run (Pass failed), 5:12
Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 27-yard run (Pass failed), 3.2
SECOND QUARTER
Heber Springs, Buffalo to Lindley 23-yard pass (Buffalo to Lindley pass), 6:53
Heber Springs, Buffalo to Lindley 37-yard pass (Pass failed), 2:51
Heber Springs, Weston Warden 31-yard run (Gideon Tate kick), 2:07
Lonoke, Tripp Sullivan 4-yard run (Pass failed), :00
FOURTH QUARTER
Heber Springs, Zachary Parker to Dalton Yancey 52-yard pass (Tate kick), 5:08
TEAM STATS First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 6, Lonoke 2
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 9, Lonoke 0
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Lonoke 3
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 15, Lonoke 5
Penalties: Heber Springs 7/53, Lonoke 4/20
3rd-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 2/6, Lonoke 1/5
4th-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/4, Lonoke 0/0
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 2/0, Lonoke 2/2
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 2/17, Lonoke 0/0
Total Offense: Heber Springs 369, Lonoke 21
Rush/Yards/Avg: Heber Springs 22/147/6.7, Lonoke 16/20/1.3
Passing (A/C-Yards-TD/Int): Heber Springs 12/16-222-3/0, Lonoke 1/4-1-0/1
Punts: Heber Springs 0/0, Lonoke 4/145/36.3
INDIVIDUAL STATSOFFENSE Rushing: Heber Springs, Weston Warden 4/56, Gideon Tate 10/42, Xander Lindley 1/27, Parker Brown 1/8, Liam Buffalo 1/6, Jacob Golden 1/5, Ladd Choate 2/5, Hayden Johnson 1/4, Bryce Seigrist 1/(-6). Lonoke, Kemarcus Jones 1/18, Zhorion Gipson 6/14, Tripp Sullivan 9/(-12).
Passing: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 11/15-170-2/0, Zachary Parker 1/1-52-1/0. Lonoke, Tripp Sullivan 1/4-1-0/1.
Receiving: Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 5/139, Dalton Yancey 4/74, Weston Warden 2/3, Parker Brown 1/6. Lonoke, Zhorion Gipson 1/1.
Kickoff Returns: Heber Springs, Hud Haggard 1/0. Lonoke, Kemarcus Jones 3/21, Tripp Sullivan 2/18, Alex Whiting 1/7, J.T. Stuart 1/1.
Total Offense: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 176, Weston Warden 56, Zachary Parker 52, Gideon Tate 42, Xander Lindley 27, Parker Brown 8, Jacob Golden 5, Ladd Choate 5, Hayden Johnson 4, Bryce Seigrist (-6). Lonoke, Kemarcus Jones 18, Zhorion Gipson 14, Tripp Sullivan (-11).
All-Purpose Yards: Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 166, Dalton Yancey 74, Weston Warden 59, Gideon Tate 42, Parker Brown 14, Liam Buffalo 6, Jacob Golden 5, Ladd Choate 5, Hayden Johnson 4, Bryce Seigrist (-6).
DEFENSE Sacks/Yards lost: Heber Springs, Hud Haggard 1/11, Parker Brown 1/6
Interceptions: Heber Springs, Logan Rutledge 1/0.
Fumble Recoveries: Ladd Choate, Xander Lindley.
Punts: Lonoke, Tripp Sullvian 4/145/36.3
Kicking: Heber Springs, Gideon Tate (2/2 XP)
Heber Springs’ Jacob Haskett looks for running room as Lonoke’s Colton Trickey (21) gives chase during the Panthers 14-6 win on Thursday at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
By PHILIP SEATON
The Heber Springs seventh-grade football team improved to 2-1 on the season with a 14-6 victory over Lonoke Thursday night at Panther Stadium.
With a late start, the two teams played only one half of football.
Heber Springs’ Grady Turley. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs struck first as Gavin Widner scored on a 20-yard run with 15:08 to play to make it 6-0 in favor of the Panther Cubs. Emmett Dwyer connected with Cooper Holmes for the 2-point conversion.
After a Maddox Shumate interception gave the Panther Cubs the ball at the Lonoke 29, Eli Buffalo – playing in his first game of the season – rushed 18 yards to the Lonoke 11 before Jacob Haskett carried it over from there to make it 14-0 with 37 seconds left.
Lonoke added a score the buzzer as J.T. Stuart connected with Cameron Hooten for a 16-yard touchdown pass.
Heber Springs will be on the road Thursday when the Panther Cubs travel to Stuttgart.
Heber Springs’ Eli Buffalo looks upfield just out of reach of Lonoke’s Khalon Calhoun (14). PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
