High scores highlight archery regional tournaments

February 12, 2020

By RANDY ZELLERS/AGFC ASSISTANT CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS

Arkansas National Archery in the Schools tournament

LITTLE ROCK – Impressive team and individual scores highlighted a Saturday of statewide regional competition of the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program, sponsored by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Two teams from each of 12 regional events across three age groups qualified for the ANASP State Tournament, which will be held at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs March 6-7. In addition, 12 more at-large teams were selected from each of the three divisions and will compete in Hot Springs.

The elementary and middle school divisions have Friday, March 6, to themselves in Hot Springs, while the senior division will determine its state champion Saturday, March 7. Admission to the event for spectators is free, but the school whose supporters bring the most canned food items will win cash for their team to purchase equipment and other team items. The prize has been donated by the AGFC Commissioners. The canned food drive at the State Tournament is being held to support Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry.

“There were some really high scores from across the state,” Curtis Gray, the AGFC’s coordinator of ANASP, said of the regional tournaments. “All of the tournaments went off without a hitch and we are now marching towards the State Tournament.”

A total of 3,731 girls and boys competed across the state in the three age groupings. Region 4, staged in Cave City, drew a high of 433 competitors.

“There were really good attendance at all of the regionals across the state with the exceptional weather we had this past weekend,” Gray said. “All of the schools are reporting that they were able to raise more than sufficient funds to support their archery programs and other student organizations on their respective campuses through hosting these tournaments.”

The most excitement among the Senior Division teams may have come at Harrison in Region 2, where Alpena’s boys and girls ran up a weekend best 3,341 points to win over Bergman, which had 3,284 points – enough to win most other regions. Valley Springs missed out on the top two spots by ending 12 points shy of Bergman, but Valley Springs landed an at-large berth with its score of 3,272. In another senior regional thriller, Valley View won Region 4 in Cave City by a mere 7 points over Greene County Tech, 3,239-3,232.

Team scores were determined by totaling the top four girls team member scores, the top four boys team member scores and up to four other boys or girls scores for the team.

Other Senior Division region winners and runner-ups, and their points, were: 1–Arkansas Arts Academy (3,063), Bentonville (2,959); 3–Batesville Pioneers (3,191), Hillcrest (3,002); 5–Charleston (3,077), Waldron (3,064); 6 –VHS Eagles (3,090), Pangburn (2,987); 7–Bryant Hornets (3,301), Oden Timberwolves (2,959); 8–Cabot (3,320), Homeschoolers on Target (3,009); 9–Acorn Tigers (3,257), Murfreesboro Rattlers (3,154); 10–Glen Rose (3,115), Robin’s Hoodlums (3,056); 11–El Dorado Wildcats (3,245), Taylor (3,109); 12–Hamburg (2,933), Drew Central (2,715).

Brady Webb of Acorn scored a 295 with 25 bulls-eyes to lead all senior boys scoring on Saturday. Kaleb Tramel of Pottsville and Jacob Jones of Greene County Tech both totaled 292 at their respective regionals, with Tramel getting one more bulls-eye, 23-22.

Emilee Evers of Bergman amassed 293 points, including 23 bulls-eyes, to lead all senior girls scoring. Allie Strother of Oden amassed 292 points, including 23 bulls-eyes, and Emma Everett of Cabot totaled 290 points with 21 bulls-eyes.

Bullseye at Regional Tournament

Middle school regional winners were: Washington Junior High, Bergman, Batesville, Greene County Tech, Charleston, Pangburn, Bryant, Des Arc, Eagle Eye Archery, Murfreesboro Rattlers, Glen Rose, El Dorado Barton and Hamburg. Finishing in second in their regions were: Woodland Junior High, Alpena, Hillcrest, Valley View, Pottsville, Patriots Archery, Bryant Blue, Cabot North, Wickes, Region 10 Straight Shooters, Washington Middle and Blue Steel.

Hill Farm Elementary of Bryant, which has dominated the Elementary Division at the ANASP State Tournament, cruised on to Hot Springs again in winning Region 7 in Mt. Ida. Other elementary qualifiers for the State Tournament were Bentonville Old High Elementary, Arkansas Arts Academy, Bergman, Omaha, Eagle Mountain Magnet, Southside Batesville Southerners, Valley View Intermediate, Cross County Archers, Charleston, Pottsville Apaches, Hornet Archery, Davis Elementary Knocked and Loaded, PFE Archers, Carlisle, Murfreesboro Rattlers Archery, Vandervoort Sharp Shooters, Glen Rose, Mockingjays, Taylor, Emerson, Hamburg and Monticello Blue Steel.

At-large Elementary Division qualifiers (and points in the regional) were Greene County Tech (2,751), Valley Springs (2,725), Sulphur Rock (2,676), Cedar Ridge (2,657), Collegeville (2,656), Hillcrest (2,608), Searcy County (2,602), Salem (2,576), Maynard (2,557), Springhill (2,465), Parker’s Chapel (2,415) and Jasper (2,401).

Middle school at-large qualifiers were Valley Springs (3,131), Omaha (3,105), Maumelle (3,096), Taylor (3,076), Emerson (3,027), Cabot Junior South (3,024), Acorn (3,014), Southside (2,987), Cross County (2,985), Waldron (2921), Carlisle (2,908) and Searcy County (2,889).

Senior High Division teams earning an at-large berth were Valley Springs (3,272), De Queen (3,139), Pottsville (3,042), Brookland (3,000), Omaha (2,997), Southside (2,987), Cross County (2,965), Perryville (2,958) Jasper (2,955), Blevins (2,952), Fordyce (2,951) and Little Rock Christian Academy (2,947).

Hendrix looks to Rebound in 2019

August 17, 2019

By HENDRIX SPORTS INFORMATION

CONWAY – After guiding Hendrix to a 2015 Southern Athletic Association Championship and leading the Warriors to an impressive 8-2 record in 2017, head coach Buck Buchanan looks to continue to revitalize the Hendrix football program following a 2-8 effort in 2018.

Buchanan, who was hired immediately after Hendrix football ended its 52-year hiatus, enters his seventh season as the head man for the Warriors. Buchanan currently holds a 34-27 (.557) mark while at Hendrix with a 23-21 (.522) record in SAA play and also has guided Hendrix to finishing in the top three in the SAA three different seasons in his six years here.

Returners
After an injury sidelines him for over 75 percent of the 2018 season, one of the top quarterbacks that Hendrix has seen is back and will be wearing the black and orange this fall. After being one of the top quarterbacks, statistically, in the entire country in 2017, Miles Thompson played just more than one full game before getting injured and missed the rest of the 2018 season. Thompson, who has throw for more than 4,400 yards and 46 touchdowns, will be one of several Warrior players who bring back several years of collegiate experience.

Offensively, Thompson is joined again by Kip VanHoose. VanHoose, who led the entire SAA in rushing yards a season ago, is looking to build off a season in which the Kansas City, Mo., product rushed for 860 yards and three scores.

On the offensive line and returning for this season year is Xavion Gardner. Gardner is a two-time All-SAA First Team selection and was part of the offensive line that led the NCAA with 600 yards of total offense per game.

Defensively, Ronnie McShanTanner Hartsfield and Jared Bazley return for the Warriors. All three obtained All-SAA Honorable Mention honors a year ago while Hartsfield led the team in tackles with 31 solo and 70 total tackles and Bazley earned D3football.com National Team of the Week honors once. On the special teams side of things, kicker Sandy Burks returns for his senior year. A native of North Little Rock, Burks has successfully made 14 field goals, 70 PATs and has logged 56 kickoffs for 2,973 yards as a Warrior and earned D3football.com National Team of the Week honors once, as well, last season.

Newcomers
Coach Buchanan was able to welcome in more than 25 new Warriors to the Hendrix football program. Of those 25-plus newcomers, one of those names should be familiar to Conway residents.

Multi-sport sport athlete Jacob Wood shined as the star quarterback for Conway Christian, a guard for the men’s basketball team and also played baseball for the Eagles.

Wood, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound quarterback who holds several school records, led the Eagles to a 10-3 record on the 2018 season that ended in a two-point loss in the state quarterfinals to Mount Ida.

Other notable newcomers who could have a sensational freshman campaign include: wide receiver Tyler Rodriguez who earned Texas 3A Player of the Year honors and recorded 42 touchdowns at quarterback from Bonham, Texas; Thayne Garnett who is an all-around half back, tight end and running back and is a Weatherford, Texas, native running with the first-team offense; and also freshman wide receiver Harrison Campbell a native of Bentonville. Wood and Campbell both played in the Arkansas All-Star Game in June at University of Central Arkansas. Defensively, notable players to look for include defensive back’s Canon Roeder of Frisco Wakeland, Texas; Gus Asle from Frisco Reedy, Texas; and Riley Strey of Flower Mound, Texas.

Schedule
Hendrix opens the 2019 season Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. with another nonconference contest against Lyon College in Conway in a classic “Battle for ScotZilla” rivalry; looking for its third victory over the Scots in Conway in three attempts. The Warriors will hit the road for the next two games; taking on Texas Lutheran in Seguin, Texas and battling Birmingham-Southern in Birmingham, Ala., to open up SAA play. Hendrix returns back to Conway Oct. 5 to look for another victory against SAA rival Rhodes. Other notable games include the annual Hendrix College Sports Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony Nov. 2 versus Trinity and Senior Day Nov. 16 against the Sewanee Tigers from Young-Wise Memorial Stadium.