Tag: Blaine Emberton

Heber Springs comes up short against Clinton

Heber Springs’ Easton Cusick celebrates a second-quarter touchdown with teammate Conner Riddle. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

CLINTON — Time ran out on the Heber Springs Panthers to win their first Battle of the Little Red trophy at Jim Tumlison Field  Friday.

Quarterback Matthew Cook’s pass for Diego Rubio was batted away by Clinton defenders Spencer Banister and Harley Tobin at the goal-line as the Panthers lost to the Yellowjackets 32-26 in a 2-4A Conference football game.

Clinton’s Nick Epley scored the winning touchdown on a 52-yard run with 50 seconds left in the game.

Cook started Heber Springs’ final drive with a 14-yard completion to Easton Cusick for a first down at the Clinton 47-yard line., Parker Brown, who was playing his first high school game, caught a 16-yard pass, advancing the ball to the 31. A five-yard penalty against Clinton set up the game’s final play.

Heber Springs’ Matthew Cook. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

“We were able to move down the field on the drive with different guys at receiver,” Heber Springs coach Todd Wood said. “We had a shot on the final play and that is all you can ask of your team. I told Matthew before the play to throw into the end zone.”

Brown was referring to Nathan McKee, the leading receiver for the Panthers, who was injured during the third quarter and unable to return.

Clinton forced a punt and drove 71 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:33 left in the game. Nick Epley caught a 13-yard pass from Harley Tobin for a first down at the Yellowjacket 45-yard line. Tobin kept the ball for three years before and threw an incomplete pass before Epley’s touchdown run on third-and-seven.

“We knew they could pass or run well,” Wood said. “Clinton has a good quarterback who can run or pass and a lot of speed in the backfield. It was a great call by them with less than a minute left. We were anticipating a pass. You have to make the tackle in that situation and we didn’t do it on that play.”

The teams played nose-to-nose during the first half with Clinton gaining one more yard (163-162) than Heber Springs. The Panthers rushed for 88 yards and passed for 74, while the Yellowjackets had 92 yards rushing and 71 passing.

For the game, Clinton outgained the Panthers 425-354 yards in total offense and held a 23-18 advantage in first downs. Heber Springs rushed for 201 yards and passed for 153. The Yellowjackets had 277 yards on the ground and 148 passing.

Heber Springs’ Diego Rubio looks to get past Clinton’s Cody Davis. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Heber Springs converted 1-of-10 opportunities on third down and 4-of-6 on fourth down. Clinton was 6-of-10 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down.

Cook completed 15-of-32 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown, and rushed 17 times for 167 yards and one touchdown. He accounted for 320 all-purpose yards. Rubio had 28 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns. McKee caught eight passes for 91 yards. Cusick had three catches for 39 yards and one touchdown. Parker Brown caught two passes for 18 yards.

Tobin completed 8-of-15 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown for Clinton. Epley rushed 18 times for 149 yards and one touchdown.

Clinton received the opening kickoff and marched 59 yards on seven plays for the early lead. Jacob Hutto capped the drive by scoring on a 5-yard run with 9:06 in the first quarter. Aldrick Infante kicked the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

Heber Springs tied the game on a 10-play, 57-yard drive in the second quarter. Cook’s 30-yard carry put the Panthers in scoring position at the Clinton 15-yard line.

The Panthers needed a fourth-down conversion to keep the drive alive. McKee caught a 7-yard pass from Cook for a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Rubio dove into the end zone from one yard out with 8:43 left in the first half. Gus Hannah kicked the extra point for the 7-7 tie.

Clinton regained the advantage on its next possession when Infante kicked a 32-yard field goal with 4:07 to go for a 10-7 lead.

But the Panthers didn’t wait long to respond. Heber Springs drove 62 yards on 10 plays, with Cook connecting on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cusick. Hannah kicked the extra point for the 14-10 lead with 38 seconds remaining until halftime.

Clinton pulled to within one point on Infante’s 40-yard field game with two seconds left as Heber Springs led 14-13 at halftime.

Heber Springs started the second half at its 48 thanks to McKee’s kickoff return. Cook passed twice to McKee for a first-and-goal at the 4. Two plays later, Rubio scored from the 1, increasing the lead to 20-13. The 2-point conversion was no good.

Clinton pulled to within one point before the end of the third quarter. Tobin capped a six-play, 35-yard drive by scoring on a 1-yard sneak. The Panthers kept their 20-19 lead on Clinton’s bad snap on the try for the extra point.

Heber Springs increased its lead when Thad Bray recovered a Clinton fumble at the Panther 10-yard line. The Yellowjackets held on the next three plays as the Panthers faced a fourth-and-eight at the 12.

A fourth-down conversion helped Heber Springs to increase its lead. The Panthers elected to go for the first down. Cook took the snap, went to his left and broke to the outside. He outran the Yellowjacket defense and scored on an 88-yard run with 7:16 left in the game. After a failed 2-point play, the Panthers led, 26-19.

“We had two choices,” Wood said. “We could keep moving the ball down the field or give it back Clinton on a short field where it probably would score quickly. It was not a tough decision.”

Clinton tied the game when Brody Emberton caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Tobin with 3:48 left. Infante kicked the extra point to tie the game at 26-26.

Epley scored the winning touchdown with 50 seconds left, and Clinton held the Panthers out of the end zone on the game’s final series.

Heber Springs (1-5 conference, 2-7 overall) will host Little Rock Mills in the final regular season game on Friday.

“Mills will be big and physical,” Wood said. “The game will show how much character that we have. We have to come back with our heads high and finish the regular season strong.” 

Heber Springs’ Gus Hannah gets the PAT kick off despite the attempt by Clinton’s Nick Epley (3) to block the kick. Matthew Cook (33) was the holder on the attempt. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME STATS

SCORING   
Heber Springs (1-5, 2-7)   0 14  6  6 - 26
Clinton (2-4, 2-7)         7  6  6 13 - 32
FIRST QUARTER   
Clinton, Jacob Hutto 5-yard run (Aldrick Infante kick), 9:06
SECOND QUARTER
Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 1-yard run (Gus Hannah kick), 8:43
Clinton, Infante 32-yard field goal, 4:07
Heber Springs, Matthew Cook to Easton Cusick 20-yard pass (Hannah kick), :38
Clinton, Infante 40-yard field goal, :02
THIRD QUARTER   
Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 1-yard run (pass failed), 10:24
Clinton, Harley Tobin 1-yard run (run failed), :02
FOURTH QUARTER 
Heber Springs, Cook 88-yard run (run failed), 5:30
Clinton, Tobin to Brody Emberton 21-yard pass (Infante kick), 3:48
Clinton, Nick Epley 52-yard run (kick failed), :50

TEAM STATS   
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 8, Clinton 14
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 8, Clinton 8
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 2, Clinton 1
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 18, Clinton 23
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 1/10, Clinton 6/10
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 4/6, Clinton 1/2
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 5/3, Southside 1/0
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 22:02, Clinton 25:58
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 2/1, Clinton 2/2
Turnovers: Heber Springs 1, Clinton 2     
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 6, Clinton 0
Penalties: Heber Springs 4/40, Clinton 4/41
Rushing: Heber Springs 27/201/7.4, Clinton 47/277/5.9
Passing: Heber Springs 15/32-153-1/0, Clinton 8/15-148-1/0
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 59/354/6, Clinton 62/425/6.9 
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, Clinton 2/11
Punts: Heber Springs 2/60, Clinton 1/34
Inside 20: None

INDIVIDUAL STATS   
OFFENSE     
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 17/167/1, Diego Rubio 9/28/2, Nathan McKee 1/6. Clinton, Nick Epley 18/149/1, Jacob Hutto 15/64/1, Brody Emberton 4/33, Harley Tobin 10/29/1, Cody Davis 1/2.
PASSING: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 15/32-153-1/0. Clinton, Harley Tobin 8/15-148-1/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 8/91, Easton Cusick 3/39, Parker Brown 2/18, Jackson West 1/3, Diego Rubio 1/2. Clinton, Brody Emberton 3/65/1, Nick Epley 3/43, Jasper Burgess 1/28, Blaine Emberton 1/12.
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 320, Diego Rubio 28, Nathan McKee 6. Clinton, Harley Tobin 182, Nick Epley 149, Jacob Hutto 64, Brody Emberton 33, Cody Davis 2.
PUNT RETURNS: Clinton, Jacob Hutto 1/4
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 2/33, Nathan McKee 1/38, Parker Brown 1/4, Gus Hannah 1/0, Austin Winchester 1/0. Clinton, Cody Davis 2/31, Nick Epley 2/21, Brody Emberton 1/11.
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 167, Nathan McKee 135, Diego Rubio 53, Easton Cusick 39, Parker Brown 22, Jackson West 3. Clinton, Nick Epley 213, Brody Emberton 109, Jacob Hutto 68, Cody Davis 33, Jasper Burgess 28, Blaine Emberton 12.
SCORING: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 12, Matthew Cook 6, Easton Cusick 6, Gus Hannah 2 (2/2 XPA). Clinton, Aldrick Infante 8 (2/3 XPA, 2/2 FGA. Made: 32, 40), Nick Epley 6, Jacob Hutto 6, Harley Tobin 6, Brody Emberton 6.
DEFENSE    
PUNTS/YARDS/AVERAGE/INSIDE THE 20/BLOCKED: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook  2/60/30/0/0. Clinton, Aldrick Infante 1/34/34/0/0
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Clinton, Jasper Burgess 1/8, Josh Witt 1/6
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Isaac King, Thad Bray. Clinton, Ashton Hoyle.
INTERCEPTIONS: None

Panther GameDay: Battle for the Little Red

Tripp Keeter gets a little help waving the “HS” flag from a strong breeze at Southside Batesville last week. Keeter, a spring graduate of Heber Springs High School, has been traveling to all of the games this season (home and away) to make sure the flag waves proudly for the team. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs and Clinton will play for more than the Battle of the Little Red trophy at Jim Tumlison Field in Clinton on Friday night.

The winner will move up one notch on the Class 4A playoff seeding ladder and remain alive for the No. 4 seed and a bye from the first weekend of postseason play. Remaining teams will start the playoffs in play-in games on either Nov. 12 or Nov. 13.

Heber Springs seeks its first win in the fifth annual Battle of the Little Red. Kickoff is scheduled at 7 p.m.

The Panthers (1-4 2-4A Conference, 2-6 overall) are coming off a 22-17 win at Southside Batesville. Clinton (1-4 conference, 1-7 overall) defeated Bald Knob, also on the road, 21-15.

“The players are aware of the atmosphere surrounding the game,” Heber Springs coach Todd Wood said. “They know what must be done and returned to practice this week with more energy after playing a complete game for the first time this season.”

Wood said the Panthers learned from their second-half performance against Bald Knob two weeks ago and took a step forward.

Heber Springs quarterback Matthew Cook gets a hug from assistant coach Hunter Davis after the Panthers win last week at Southside Batesville. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

“We realized what was not done in the past and played four good quarters against Southside,” he said. “We pulled close during the second half of previous games, but we never could get over the hump. We put ourselves in position to win the game against Southside during the fourth quarter.”

Clinton head coach Chris Dufrene said preparation is no different than previous games with the Panthers, except the game is now a conference game.

“We would want to win whether it was the first game of the season or the ninth week,” Dufrene said. “It means more this year because it is a conference game and will affect playoff seeding.”

But Dufrene said winning the trophy again is important.

“The trophy adds more pressure,” he said. “The game has been a good thing with all of the community involvement. It helps a lot of families in need who live in both communities.”

Clinton continues with its Wing-T offense, led by sophomore quarterback Harley Tobin. Junior Nick Epley, senior Brody Emberton, and juniors Jacob Hutto and Cody Davis are the primary threats in the running game.

The Yellowjackets have put the ball in the air more this season. Seniors Blaine Emberton and Jasper Burgess have been his primary targets.

“We like to spread the ball around more with the passing game,” Dufrene said. “Harley has played great at times and other times like a sophomore. He had a good game against Bald Knob with three touchdown passes.”

Clinton’s defense played well against Bald Knob and had three interceptions. Epley’s interception with two minutes left stopped a potential scoring drive by the Bulldogs.

Wood said Clinton will carry momentum from its win at Bald Knob into Friday’s game.

“The win gave them a big boost,” he said. “Clinton did what it needed to do and won. They ran the ball well and then spread the field with the passing game. The quarterback is versatile, makes good decisions and can run and pass. They also have two good running backs with breakaway speed.”

Heber Springs’ offense went through growing pains earlier this season, but it picked up the pace against Southside.

Senior Matthew Cook, who made the transition from receiver to quarterback, has completed 92-of-162 passes for 1,112 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Nathan McKee leads the Panthers in receiving with 34 catches for 455 yards and three touchdowns. Two sophomores have emerged as targets in the passing game. Isaac King has caught 17 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Easton Cusick has 16 receptions for 210 yards.

Senior Diego Rubio is the leading rusher with 355 yards on 72 attempts and scored six touchdowns.

Wood said play improved drastically on the offensive and defensive lines and one of the determining factors in last week’s win

“We have to take care of the line of scrimmage again and win that battle,” Wood said. “Jayden Bremmon, Thad Bray, Lucas Langster, Trevor Weathers and Chris Smith played well. It helped by moving Preston Roberson back to linebacker, where he is better suited to play. I was pleased with the play of our (offensive and defensive) linemen.”

2-4A STANDINGS

                            W L CP  W L PS  PA 
Stuttgart                   5 0 65  7 0 270  33 
Central Arkansas Christian  5 0 51  8 0 272 159
Lonoke                      4 1 44  6 2 296 199
Bald Knob                   2 3 19  4 4 194 172  
Southside Batesville        1 4 13  2 6 151 241   
Little Rock Mills           1 4 11  2 6 164 231  
Clinton                     1 4  6  1 7 165 330 
Heber Springs               1 4  5  2 6 150 272
 
Friday, October 23
Heber Springs 22, Southside Batesville 17
Central Arkansas Christian 49, Lonoke 34
Clinton 21, Bald Knob 15
Stuttgart 28, Little Rock Mills 0

Friday, October 30
Heber Springs at Clinton
Central Arkansas Christian at Bald Knob
Southside Batesville at Little Rock Mills
Lonoke at Stuttgart
  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. in Clinton
  • Admission: $5
  • Radio/Streaming: Billy Morgan with handle the play-by-play with Lance Hamilton providing color on KSUG 101.9 The Lake. Panther Pregame begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the game. Listen live link here.
  • Honorary Captains: For Heber Springs, long-time journalist and Heber Springs graduate Larry “Scoop” McCarty. For Clinton, former player James Washington.

THE SERIES

HEBER SPRINGS VS. CLINTON
“Battle of the Little Red”
Clinton leads the series 40-38-5.
Games played in Heber Springs: Clinton leads, 20-19-1
Games played in Clinton: Clinton leads 20-18-4
Games played on a Neutral Field: Heber Springs leads, 1-0.

FIRST MEETING: Heber Springs’ first season of football was 1913 and it would be 26 years before Clinton fielded its first team. It didn’t take long for the two teams to meet after that with Heber Springs winning the first game played between the two schools on October 13, 1939, in Heber Springs. The Panthers won by a score of 31-0 on that day. The two teams met again less than a month later on Veteran’s Day (November 11) 1939 in Clinton where the Panthers and Yellowjackets played to a 6-6 tie. The teams would go on to play continuously after that with a couple of exceptions. During World War II, neither school fielded a team during the 1943 season while Clinton did not field one during the 1944 season. After the war, Clinton and Heber Springs would meet twice per season in 1945 and 1946 with the Yellowjackets winning all four meetings. Financial constraints in the Heber Springs School District forced the school to not field a football team for the 1947 and 1948 seasons. The two teams meet again during the 1949 season with Clinton winning both games of the home-and-home series. The teams would go on continuously playing until 2007 when the opener scheduled with Clinton — which was played during the 2006 season at the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic at Estes Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway — was changed to allow the Panthers to play Mayflower instead of Clinton in the same Kickoff Classic in 2007. The series resumed in 2008 and continues today.
LONGEST WINNING STREAKS: Clinton has won six straight in the series twice. Once from 1945-1949 and the second time from 2000-2005. Heber Springs won seven straight in the series from 1978-1984.
CONFERENCE FOES: Heber Springs and Clinton were first paired in the same conference in 1974. They would be paired in the same conference from 1974-1990. They would again be paired in the same conference from 1993-2001 and from 2008-2013. The two teams are back in the same conference after Clinton moved up from 3A and replaced Riverview in the conference.
OVERTIME GAMES: There have only been three overtime games in the series and those all occurred during a four-year span from 1986-1989. Clinton won a double overtime home contest in 1986 (20-14) while the Panthers won in overtime the following season in 1987, 19-12, in Heber Springs. In 1989, Clinton defeated Heber Springs, 13-12, at Panther Stadium.
CLOSE GAMES: Twenty-four of the games have been decided by a touchdown or less during the series, not including the five ties.
COACH’S WIFE: Clinton head coach Chris Dufrene’s wife Heather (Bivins) is a 1987 graduate of Heber Springs High School.
TROPHY GAMES: Heber Springs won the trophy for the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic between the two schools in 2006, but since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red” trophy, Clinton has won all four meetings, 28-20 in 2016 in Clinton, 28-17 in 2017 in Heber Springs, 36-34 in 2018 in Clinton, and 28-27 last season in Heber Springs . Heber Springs will be looking to break a four-game losing streak to Clinton.

Panther Postgame

Heber Springs comes up short against Clinton, 28-27

Heber Springs quarterback Adam Martin looks to evade the tackle of Clinton’s Ryan Jones Friday Night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HEBER SPRINGS – It was a tale of penalties in the final eight minutes that helped decide the “Battle of the Little Red” Friday night at Panther Stadium as Clinton claimed a 28-27 victory.

Tied at 21-all, Clinton go the benefit of a pass interference call on a second-and-long play that helped move the ball from the Clinton 29 to the Clinton 44. Eight plays later on fourth-and-4, Yellowjacket quarterback Weston Amos connected with Austin Drake for a 17-yard touchdown with 4:25 to play to put Clinton up 27-21. On the extra-point attempt, a high snap forced Amos was forced to scramble. He connected with the pass attempt that was stopped short of the goal line, but a roughing the passer penalty was called giving Clinton another shot. This time senior Matt Gonzalez was able to get the kick off and give the Yellowjackets the lead at 28-21 .

After a 13-yard kickoff return by junior Matthew Cook, a holding call and false-start penalty pushed Heber Springs back to it’s own 15-yard line. From there, seniors Adam Martin and Julio Rubio put the Panthers on their backs and marched downfield. A 13-yard run by Martin and a 12- and 5-yard run by Rubio gave Heber Springs a first-down. After a four-yard run by Martin, the senior signal-caller connected with all-conference performer Tri Johnson for another first down moving the ball to the Yellowjacket 45. Two plays later Rubio took the ball and ran straight up the middle for a 39-yard touchdown run with 1:20 to play.

Senior Jackson Harrod was sent out to attempt the extra point, but Clinton was whistled for being offsides moving the ball half the distance to the goal line. Instead of attempting to tie the game and potentially send the “Battle of the Little Red River” into overtime for the first time since 1989, Heber Springs coach Will Cox decided to go for the lead and potentially the win with the two-point conversion. A high snap slowed Martin’s momentum and he was stopped just short of the end zone with his helmet touching the goal-line, but the ball just short.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Clinton’s Tye Pruitt and the Yellowjackets ran out the clock for the win.

“We were going to kick the extra (point), then we got the penalty,” Cox said.
“Really our offense had been moving well, and I felt good where we were at. I thought they were playing on the heals a bit and got aggressive, tried to win it right there. It’s tough, that’s a tough one. I think in the same situation, I would probably do that again. I feel very confident in our offense and being able to do that.”

Martin paced Heber Springs on the ground by rushing 25 times for 161 yards, while Rubio carried the ball 12 times for 94 yard and three touchdowns.

Heber Springs will travel to 5A Greenbrier on Friday night.

Heber Springs kicker Jackson Harrod signals good on a first-quarter, extra-point attempt. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME NOTES

SERIES: Since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red” trophy, Clinton has won all four meetings between the two schools and now leads the all-time series, 40-38-5.

SOMETHING WITH 28: In three of the four wins by Clinton since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red”, the Yellowjackets have scored 28 points, the only exception was 36-34 win in 2018 in Clinton.

CLOSE GAMES: 24 games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less, including Friday night’s contest.

Former Heber Springs “chain-gang” member Tom Bly performs the ceremonial coin toss before Friday’s game. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HONORARY CAPTAINS: Former Clinton, and Harding University, quarterback Park Parish was the honorary captain for the Yellowjackets while members of the “chain gang” from the 1970s, 80s and 90s were honorary captains for Heber Springs. Ron Gillispie, Tom Bly, Rodney Bise, Denver Gillispie, Ben Rorie, Tommy Park, Win Hargus and Travis Howard.

COIN TOSS: Tom Bly did the coin flip which was won by Heber Springs.

FIGHT LIKE A KID: Cara Morehead of Fight Like at Kid/Make A Wish was on hand to receive a pregame donation from members of Heber Springs and Clinton school administrations. The two communities raised $9,708 dollars to help grant a wish for a Greers Ferry Lake area child.

STUFF THE BUS: Heber Springs and Clinton were involved in a friendly competition that involved being awarded points for donating food for each school’s food banks as well as a diapers/baby wipes that were donated to “The Call” in each community. Heber Springs finished with 19,851 points while Clinton finished with 4,902. As a result, Heber Springs won the “Community Impact Award” banner for 2019.

INVOCATION: Caleb Parish, a member of the Heber Springs Fellowship of Christian Athletes, presented the pregame invocation.

ONSIDE KICK: For the second year in a row, Heber Springs won the opening toss, but Clinton elected to attempt an onside kick, as they did in 2018. They recovered the ball both times.

STATE RECORD AND COUNTING: As a team, Heber Springs has connected on 105 extra-point kicks which is a team state record. Julian Cameron connected on 100 straight before graduating last season. Graduated senior Seth Dickson also connected on two extra point kicks in 2018. Friday night, Jackson Harrod was three-for-three to continue the streak.

FOX 16’s FEARLESS FRIDAY: For the second year in a row, Wess Moore’s Fox 16 Fearless Friday show had a crew at the “Battle of the Little Red”. Last season, Jay Bir was on the sidelines. This year, Stephanie Sharp covered the game for the Little Rock television station.

DRIVE SUMMARIES

First Quarter

Clinton: 3 plays, minus 9 yards, 2:20. Start: Clinton 47. Result: Punt. Key Plays: Clinton recovered an onside kick to start the contest. On third down, a high snap resulted in an 18-yard loss.

Heber Springs: 12 plays, 68 yards, 4:55. Start: Heber Springs 32. Result: Landon Johnson 3-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod extra-point kick. Key Plays: A 21-yard run on a quarterback draw by Adam Martin on the second play of the drive to move the ball to the Clinton 39. A 7-yard run by Landon Johnson on fourth-and-three from the Clinton 32, and a Johnson 13-yard run to move the ball to the Clinton 3. Score: Heber Springs 7, Clinton 0. Coach Cox: “We really thought with how they were defensively that we could spread them out with our skill, and that would open some running lanes with Adam. Kinda pick your poison, if they fill the box then we could throw it out; and if they spread it out to cover our pass, then Adam could make some plays with his feet. He really showed that.”

Heber Springs’ Landon Johnson looks upfield after taking the ball from Adam Martin (2). Fate Berry (3) is blocking on the play. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Clinton: 7 plays, 72 yards, 2:15. Start: Clinton 28. Result: 17-yard touchdown run by Jordan Hinchey. Matt Gonzalez kick. Key Plays: On fourth-and-19 at the Clinton 19, Weston Amos ran for an eight-yard gain, but a 15-yard face mask penalty moved the ball to the Clinton 42. On the next play, another unsportsmanlike penalty on Heber Springs moved the ball to the Heber Springs 25. Score: Heber Springs 7, Clinton 7.

Heber Springs: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:57. Start: Heber Springs 21 Result: Clinton interception. Key Plays: On third down from the Heber Springs 41, Rubio carried the ball to the Heber Springs 46. After a first-down pass from Martin to Nathan McKee went for 22 yards, a ball went out of the hands of Tri Johnson into the awaiting arms of Clinton’s Kadence Sowell. Coach Cox: ” I have some much trust in Tri. I know he can make big plays and I’ve seen him do it before. What he’s done so far is just so impressive in what kind of athlete he is, and what kind of player he is. I have complete confidence in what he can do.”

Second Quarter

Clinton: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:14. Start: Clinton 42. Result: Turnover on downs. Key Play: On fourth-and-2 from the Heber Springs 49, Amos was stopped a yard short by Landon Johnson and Julio Rubio. Coach Cox: “Our guys flew around. We finished with (giving up) 28 and that’s more than what we want to give up defensively, but I really like the way were flying around. We had 11 guys chasing trying to make a play every time and that’s another thing we can take from this game.”

Heber Springs: 9 plays, 51 yards, 4:16. Start: Heber Springs 49. Result: Julio Rubio 13-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod PAT kick. Key plays: On fourth-and-1 at the Clinton 28, Martin picked up seven yards to extend the chains. After being sacked on first down, Martin gained 13 yards on third-and-16 from the Clinton 27 to make it a fourth-and-2 for Rubio’s touchdown run. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 7. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 7. Coach Cox: “I think that was a big question mark for everybody was, ‘how are we going to be able to run the ball graduating Blaze Nelson?’ This offensive line, these backs and Adam really showed that we are team that can still run the ball so that was exciting to see for sure.”

Heber Springs running back Julio Rubio is brought down by at Clinton defender. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Clinton: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:17. Start: Clinton 29. Result: Jordan Hinchey 2-yard touchdown run. Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: An 18-yard run by Nicholas Epley on the first play of the drive to move the ball to the Clinton 47, and an 18-yard run by Hinchey to push it to the Panther 16. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 14.

Heber Springs: 6 plays, 24 yards, 2:46. Start: Heber Springs 29. Result: End of half. Key Play: Martin rushed for six yards on a third-and-five to extend the drive, but a sack two plays later ended the half. Halftime score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 14.

Third Quarter

Clinton: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:18. Start: Clinton 25. Result: 10-yard touchdown run by Logan Moudy. Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: On third-and-2 from the Clinton 32, Weston Amos rushed for 23 yard to move the ball to the Panther 45. On third-and-12 from the Heber Springs 27, Amos connected with Austin Drake for a 15-yard, first-down completion. Score: Clinton 21, Heber Springs 14.

Clinton quarterback Weston Amos escapes the pressure of Heber Springs senior defensive lineman Kaden Hughes. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Heber Springs: 3 plays, 5 yards, 2:00. Start: Heber Springs 30. Result: Adam Martin punt. Key Play: A false-start penalty on first down stalled the drive.

Clinton: 8 plays, 12 yards, 4:42. Start: Clinton 23. Result: Punt. Key Play: A Tri Johnson sack on third down forced a Clinton punt.

Fourth Quarter

Heber Springs: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:43. Start: Heber Springs 40. Result: Julio Rubio 2-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod PAT kick. Key Plays: On third-and-3 from the Panther 47, Adam Martin rushed six yards for a first down. On first-and-10 from the Clinton 27, Martin ran 25 yards to put the ball on the Clinton 2. Score: Heber Springs 21, Clinton 21. Coach Cox: “They have a lot of character. It’s really good group. There are some really good senior leaders and they really laid it out there. Proud of the way they competed.”

Clinton: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:52. Start: Clinton 30. Result: Weston Amos to Austin Drake 17-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Matt Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: On second-and-11 from the Clinton 29, a defensive pass interference call put the ball on the Clinton 44. On the first play after the call, Ethen Drake picked up 19 yards to move the ball to the Panther 35. After a high snap on the extra-point attempt, Amos scrambled and completion was two yards short but a roughing the passer called allowed for the successful PAT kick. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 21. Coach Cox: “There were some tough calls. Didn’t see the late hit on the quarterback, I had my eyes down here (at the other end of the field). These refs were good to us all game as far as communicating. We just didn’t make the plays when we needed to make them.”

Heber Springs: 9 plays, 66 yards, 3:05. Start: Heber Springs 34. Result: Julio Rubio 39-yard touchdown run. Two-point run failed. Key Plays: A 13-yard run by Adam Martin on first-and-29 play from the Panther 15 followed by 12-yard run by Rubio. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27.

Clinton: 4 plays, 22 yards, 1:20. Start: Clinton 42. Result: End of game. Key Plays: Tye Pruitt recovered the onside kick and a 19-yard run by Jordan Hinchey to give Clinton a first down. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27. Coach Cox: “This is a good senior group. It hurts and I know it hurts them, but they have been through more adversity than this and responded well.”

PANTHER PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Senior Adam Martin rushed 25 times for 161 yards.
Senior Fate Berry finished with a team high 11 tackles.
Senior Julio Rubio rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

SCORING

Clinton        7  7  7  7 - 28
Heber Springs  7  7  0 13 - 27

FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Landon Johnson 3-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 4:45
Clinton - Jordan Hinchey 17-yard run (Matt Gonzalez kick), 2:30
SECOND QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 13-yard run (Harrod kick), 6:03
Clinton - Hincey 2-yard run (Gonzalez kick), 2:46 
THIRD QUARTER
Clinton - Logan Moudy 10-yard run (Gonzalez kick), 6:42
FOURTH QUARTER
Heber Springs - Rubio 2-yard run (Harrod kick), 9:17
Clinton - Weston Amos to Austin Drake 17-yard pass (Gonzalez kick), 4:25
Heber Springs - Rubio 39-yard run (run failed), 1:20

Heber Springs coach Will Cox

It stings as a rivalry game. I tell you what it stings the hardest because I know how hard these kids worked. I wanted this win for them. I wanted the win for the community, but I wanted the win for these boys because they earned it. These kids fought. They fought the whole game. That’s a good Clinton team and our kids fought. I told them at the end of the game that’s something we can build on and that’s something that can help us make this a special run.

TEAM STATS

First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 17, Clinton 17
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 2, Clinton 2
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Clinton 2
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 19, Clinton 21
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 6/9, Clinton 4/8
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/3, Clinton 1/2
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 22:52, Clinton 24:08
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 1/1, Clinton 1/0
Turnovers: Heber Springs 2, Clinton 0
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 9/76, Clinton 7/46
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 54/344/6.4, Clinton 55/295/5.4
Rushing: Heber Springs 50/314/6.3, Clinton 43/244/5.7
Passing: Heber Springs 2/4-30-0/1, Clinton 5/12-51-1/0
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 1/14, Clinton 2/10
Punts: Heber Springs 1/42/42, Clinton 2/70/35

INDIVIDUAL STATS

OFFENSE
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 25/161/6.5; Julio Rubio 12/94/7.8; Landon Johnson 13/59/4.5. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 14/104/6.5; Ethen Drake 7/57/8.1; Nicholas Epley 5/41/8.2; Weston Amos 13/35/2.7; Logan Moudy 2/11/5.5; Team 2/(-4)/(-2).
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (2), Julio Rubio (1). Clinton, Weston Amos (1), Ethen Drake (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (6), Julio Rubio (3), Landon Johnson (1). Clinton, Jordan Hinchey (4), Weston Amos (2), Ethen Drake (2), Nicholas Epley (2), Logan Moudy (1).
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 2/4-30-0/1. Clinton, Weston Amos 5/12-51-1/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/24/24, Tri Johnson 1/6/6. Clinton, Austin Drake 2/32/16; Nicholas Epley 2/15/7.5; Ethen Drake 1/7/7.
RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee (1).
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 191, Julio Rubio 94, Landon Johnson 59. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 104, Weston Amos 86, Ethen Drake 57, Nicholas Epley 41, Logan Moudy 11, Team (-4).
PUNT RETURNS: None
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 1/13, Tri Johnson 1/7. Clinton, Austin Drake 2/33/16.5
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Clinton, Kadence Sowell 1/12.
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 161, Julio Rubio 94, Landon Johnson 59, Nathan McKee 24, Tri Johnson 13, Matthew Cook 13.  Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 104, Austin Drake 65, Ethen Drake 64, Nicholas Epley 56, Weston Amos 35, Kadence Sowell 12, Logan Moudy 11, Team (-4).
DEFENSE
TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 8/3/11, Nathan McKee 6/4/10, Landon Johnson 1/5/6; Tri Johnson 2/3/5; Levy Phillips 4/1/5; Lawrence Baureis 0/5/5; Kaden Hughes 2/2/4; Hunter Kent 1/3/4; Matthew Cook 2/1/3; Jackson West 1/1/2; Trent Barnes 0/1/1; Preston Jones 0/1/1. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 6/7/13; Ryan Jones 7/3/10; Kadence Sowell 2/4/7; Ethen Drake 3/1/4; Jayden Exzabe 2/2/4; Kenneth Ethridge 0/4/4; Austin Drake 2/1/3; Nicholas Epley 0/3/3; Blaine Emberton 2/1/3; Chase Blanton 2/1/3; Hunter Johnson 2/1/3; Logan Moudy 0/1/1; Matt Gonzalez 1/0/1; Cade Treadaway 0/1/1; David Henson 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Kaden Hughes 2, Landon Johnson 1, Tri Johnson 1, Fate Berry 1. Clinton, Ryan Jones 1, Jordan Hinchey 1, Jayden Exzabe 1.
SACKS: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 1/14. Clinton, Ryan Jones 1/7, Jayden Exzabe 1/3.
INTERCEPTIONS: Clinton, Kadence Sowell 1/12.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Clinton, Nicholas Epley 1/0.

GAME SCENES

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