SCORING BY QUARTERS Heber Springs 42 64 38 41 - 185 (30.8 ppg) Opponent 6 40 14 22 - 82 (13.7 ppg) TEAM STATS First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 25, Opponent 34 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 53, Opponent 12 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 2, Opponent 6 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 80, Opponent 52 Penalties: Heber Springs 26/215, Opponent 30/197 3rd-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 17/41, Opponent 10/42 4th-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 12/20, Opponent 7/18 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 7/2, Opponent 9/6 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 6/62, Opponent 0/0 Rush/Yards/Avg: Heber Springs 80/479/6, Opponent 144/532/3.7 Rushing Yards Per Game: Heber Springs 79.8, Opponent 88.7 Passing (A/C-Yards-TD/Int): Heber Springs 91/154-1448-18/3, Opponent 31/72-467-6/6 Passing Yards Per Game: Heber Springs 241.3, Opponent 77.8 Total Offense: Heber Springs 1927, Opponent 999 Total Offense Per Game: Heber Springs 321.2, Opponent 166.5 Punts: Heber Springs 2/43/21.5, Opponent 11/374/34 INDIVIDUAL STATS OFFENSE Rushing: Gideon Tate 26/137/1, Weston Warden 15/100/1, Dalton Yancey 6/61/1, Parker Brown 9/61/1, Liam Buffalo 9/56/1, Xander Lindley 3/36/1, Hayden Johnson 5/25, Hud Haggard 1/9, Jacob Golden 1/5, Ladd Choate 2/5, Bryce Seigrist 1/(-6), Team 2/(-11). Passing: Liam Buffalo 88/150-1365-17/3, Zachary Parker 3/3-83-1/0, Parker Brown 0/1-0-0/0 Receiving: Dalton Yancey 21/385/5, Parker Brown 19/445/6, Xander Lindley 17/399/4, Hud Haggard 13/105/2, Weston Warden 11/103/1, Ty West 5/21, Chris Roberts 1/28, Gideon Tate 1/0 Kickoff Returns: Heber Springs, Hud Haggard 3/0, Corbin Jones 2/0, Xander Lindley 2/81/1, Parker Brown 2/40, Zachary Parker 1/0. Punt Returns: Xander Lindley 1/13 Interception Returns: Parker Brown 2/46/1, Liam Buffalo 2/0, Logan Rutledge 1/0, Dalton Yancey 1/0. Total Offense: Liam Buffalo 1421, Gideon Tate 137, Weston Warden 100, Zachary Parker 83, Dalton Yancey 61, Parker Brown 61, Xander Lindley 36, Hayden Johnson 25, Hud Haggard 9, Jacob Golden 5, Ladd Choate 5, Bryce Seigrist (-6). All-Purpose Yards: Parker Brown 592, Xander Lindley 529, Dalton Yancey 446, Weston Warden 203, Gideon Tate 137, Hud Haggard 114, Liam Buffalo 56, Chris Roberts 28, Hayden Johnson 25, Ty West 21, Jacob Golden 5, Ladd Choate 5, Bryce Seigrist (-6). DEFENSE Sacks/Yards lost: Parker Brown 4/41, Hud Haggard 1/11, Chris Roberts 1/10 Interceptions: Liam Buffalo 2, Parker Brown 2, Dalton Yancey 1, Logan Rutledge 1, Fumble Recoveries: Ladd Choate, Xander Lindley, Dalton Yancey, Axley Davis, Hayden Johnson, Team Punts: Liam Buffalo 2/43/21.5 SCORING Parker Brown 60, Xander Lindley 42, Dalton Yancey 38, Gideon Tate 25 (16/17 XP, 1/1 FG. MADE: 25), Weston Warden 12, Hud Haggard 12, Liam Buffalo 6
Tag: Gideon Tate
Heber Springs dominates second half, downs Bald Knob
By PHILIP SEATON
BALD KNOB – Heber Springs overcame a sluggish start to improve to 5-1 on the season with a 29-8 victory over Bald Knob in junior high football action Thursday night.
The Panthers, 3-1 in 2-4A play, trailed 8-7 late in the first half before scoring 22 unanswered to pull away from the Bulldogs. Liam Buffalo, who was 19 of 27 passing for 288 yards and four touchdowns, hit Parker Brown over the middle for a 57-yard scoring strike with 35.4 seconds left in the half. Buffalo connected with Xander Lindley for the 2-point pass to give Heber Springs a 15-7 advantage at the break.
From that point on, the Panther defense took control.
Bald Knob finished the night with 192 yards of total offense on the night, with the majority of that came in the first half, but Heber Springs limited the Bulldogs to 22 yards in the second half and forced three Bald Knob turnovers over that span (fumble recoveries by Axley Davis and Hayden Johnson, and an interception by Dalton Yancey).
Yancey’s interception set up the first score of the second half for the Panthers. Taking over on their own 32, Heber Springs used an 11-play, 68-yard drive to go up 22-8 when Buffalo connected with Yancey for a 3-yard touchdown pass with 42.6 seconds left in the quarter. Gideon Tate, who was three-for-three on PAT kicks on the night, kicked the extra point to make it 22-8. Buffalo was nine of 10 passing on the drive using five different receivers (Tate, Hud Haggard, Brown, Lindley and Yancey – who also had a first-half fumble recovery).
Another turnover set up the next score for Heber Springs in the fourth quarter, Brown sacked Bald Knob quarterback James Holder forcing the fumble. Johnson picked up the ball but was tripped up after a seven-yard return to put the ball on the Bulldog 34.
Heber Springs showed a different look on the next drive with Brown lined up in the “Wildcat” formation. A 12- and 8-yard run by Brown moved the ball to the Bulldog 14. A backwards pass attempt to Buffalo was mishandled on third down forcing a fourth-and-14 from the Bald Knob. But on fourth down, Buffalo took the snap connected with Lindley for the 26-yard touchdown pass.
Lindley finished the night six receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns, including a 13-yard reception with 2:02 left in the first quarter that put Heber Springs up 7-0.
Bald Knob’s score came with 1:26 left in the first half as Holder connected with Garrett Swindle for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Javen Smith ran in the 2-point conversion.
The Panthers finished with 300 yards of total offense on the night. Brown led Heber Springs with 127 all-purpose yards (79 receiving, 21 rushing and 27 returns).
Bald Knob’s Jameson Hillis led all rushers with 75 yards on 20 carries. But as a team, the Bulldogs finished the night with 67 yards on the ground on 28 attempts.
Heber Springs will host Southside Batesville on Thursday at Panther Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Junior High Stats: Heber Springs at Bald Knob
HEBER SPRINGS AT BALD KNOB Junior High Football October 15, 2020 at Bald Knob Heber Springs 7 8 7 7 - 29 Bald Knob 0 8 0 0 - 8 FIRST QUARTER Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo to Xander Lindley 13-yard pass (Gideon Tate kick), 2:02 SECOND QUARTER Bald Knob, James Holder to Garrett Swindle 8-yard pass (Javen Smith run), 1:26 Heber Springs, Buffalo to Parker Brown 57-yard pass (Buffalo to Lindley pass), 35.4 THIRD QUARTER Heber Springs, Buffalo to Dalton Yancey 3-yard pass (Tate kick), 42.6 FOURTH QUARTER Heber Springs, Buffalo to Lindley 26-yard pass (Tate kick), 4:16 TEAM STATS First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 2, Bald Knob 5 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 11, Bald Knob 4 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Bald Knob 1 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 13, Bald Knob 10 Penalties: Heber Springs 5/40, Bald Knob 3/16 3rd-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 6/10, Bald Knob 2/8 4th-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 2/3, Bald Knob 2/5 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 1/1, Bald Knob 5/3 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 1/15, Bald Knob 0/0 Rush/Yards/Avg: Heber Springs 13/40/3, Bald Knob 28/67/2.4 Passing (A/C-Yards-TD/Int): Heber Springs 20/29-260-4/0, Bald Knob 5/13-125-1/1 Total Offense: Heber Springs 300, Bald Knob 192 Punts: Heber Springs 0/0, Bald Knob 0/0 INDIVIDUAL STATS OFFENSE Rushing: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 4/21, Weston Warden 2/11, Gideon Tate 5/9, Dalton Yancey 2/(-1). Bald Knob, Bohn Hickman 20/75, Landon Dunigan 1/4, Garrett Swindle 2/(-1), James Holder 5/(-7). Passing: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 19/27-248-4/0, Zachary Parker 1/1-12-0/0, Parker Brown 0/1-0-0/0. Bald Knob, James Holder 5/13-125-1/1 Receiving: Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 6/104/2, Dalton Yancey 5/39, Hud Haggard 4/24, Parker Brown 3/79/1, Ty West 3/18, Weston Warden 1/12, Gideon Tate 1/0. Bald Knob, Garrett Swindle 3/83/1, Seth Hunsicker 2/42 Kickoff Returns: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 1/27, Zachary Parker 1/0. Bald Knob, 3/30, Garrett Swindle 1/4 Interceptions: Heber Springs, Dalton Yancey 1/0 Total Offense: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 248, Parker Brown 21, Zachary Parker 12, Weston Warden 11, Gideon Tate 9, Dalton Yancey (-1). Bald Knob, James Holder 118, Bohn Hickman 75, Landon Dunigan 4, Garrett Swindle (-1) All-Purpose Yards: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 127, Xander Lindley 104, Dalton Yancey 38, Hud Haggard 24, Weston Warden 23, Ty West 18, Gideon Tate 9 DEFENSE SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 1/15 PUNTS: None INTERCEPTIONS: Heber Springs, Dalton Yancey KICKING: Heber Springs, Gideon Tate (3/3 XP)
Panthers top CAC in junior high scoring fest
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.
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.
Junior High Stats: Central Arkansas Christian at Heber Springs
CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN AT HEBER SPRINGS Junior High Football October 8, 2020 at Panther Stadium CAC 0 6 6 14 - 26 Heber Springs 7 7 21 14 - 49 FIRST QUARTER Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo to Dalton Yancey 70-yard pass (Gideon Tate kick), 1:30 SECOND QUARTER CAC, Grayson Wilson to Renalson Sullivan 9-yard pass (pass failed), 1:22 Heber Springs, Buffalo to Hud Haggard 8-yard pass (Tate kick), :00 THIRD QUARTER Heber Springs, Buffalo to Parker Brown 29-yard pass (Tate kick), 6:09 CAC, Wilson to Caden Rhoads 41-yard pass (pass failed), 4:18 Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 81-yard kickoff return (Tate kick), 4:06 Heber Springs, Buffalo to Brown 30-yard pass (Tate kick), 55.5 FOURTH QUARTER CAC, Wilson to Vance Strange 40-yard pass (run failed), 7:48 Heber Springs, Buffalo to Brown 60-yard pass (Tate kick), 6:08 CAC, Wilson to Sullivan 35-yard pass (Wilson run), 4:40 Heber Springs, Tate 15-yard run (Tate kick), 2:22 TEAM STATS First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 7, CAC 6 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 8, CAC 7 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, CAC 1 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 15, CAC 14 Penalties: Heber Springs 1/5, CAC 7/40 3rd-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/6, CAC 4/9 4th-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 2/3, CAC 3/4 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, CAC 0/0 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, CAC 0/0 Rush/Yards/Avg: Heber Springs 12/113/9.4, CAC 25/107/4.3 Passing (A/C-Yards-TD/Int): Heber Springs 15/25-304-5/0, CAC 10/19-231-4/0 Total Offense: Heber Springs 417, CAC 338 Punts: Heber Springs 0/0, CAC 1/19 INDIVIDUAL STATS OFFENSE Rushing: Heber Springs, Gideon Tate 4/49/1, Liam Buffalo 4/40, Dalton Yancey 1/18, Weston Warden 3/9. CAC, Renalson Sullivan 7/38, Grayson Wilson 10/27, Caleb Cook 4/24, Vance Strange 2/10, Hayes Miller 1/5, Gus McConnell 1/3. Passing: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 15/25-304-5/0. CAC, Grayson Wilson 10/19-231-4/0 Receiving: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 7/142/3, Dalton Yancey 4/128/1, Weston Warden 2/13, Xander Lindley 1/13, Hud Haggard 1/8/1. CAC, Renalson Sullivan 5/129/2, Vance Strange 2/32/1, Caden Rhoads 1/41/1, Jake Overstreet 1/15, Hayes Miller 1/14 Kickoff Returns: Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 1/81/1, Parker Brown 1/13, Corbin Jones 1/0. CAC, Vance Strange 3/55, Renalson Sullivan 1/17, Hayes Miller 1/6, Jake Overstreet 1/6. Interceptions: None Total Offense: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 344, Gideon Tate 49, Dalton Yancey 18, Weston Warden 9. CAC, Grayson Wilson 258, Renalson Sullivan 38, Caleb Cook 24, Vance Strange 10, Hayes Miller 5, Gus McConnell 3. All-Purpose Yards: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 155, Dalton Yancey 146, Xander Lindley 94, Gideon Tate 49, Liam Buffalo 40, Weston Warden 22, Hud Haggard 8. CAC, Renalson Sullivan 184, Vance Strange 97, Caden Rhoads 41, Grayson Wilson 27, Hayes Miller 25, Caleb Cook 24, Jake Overstreet 21, Gus McConnell 3. DEFENSE SACKS/YARDS LOST: None PUNTS: CAC, Renalson Sullivan 1/19 KICKING: Heber Springs, Gideon Tate (7/7 XP)
Stuttgart stops Heber Springs in junior high action
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 Junior High Season Stats (after 3 games)
SCORING BY QUARTERS Heber Springs 28 42 10 13 - 93 (31 ppg) Opponent 0 12 0 8 - 20 (6.7 ppg) TEAM STATS First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 15, Opponent 10 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 29, Opponent 1 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Opponent 4 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 44, Opponent 15 Penalties: Heber Springs 18/154, Opponent 12/73 3rd-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 7/20, Opponent 3/19 4th-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 7/10, Opponent 2/4 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 6/1, Opponent 4/3 Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 4/36, Opponent 0/0 Total Offense: Heber Springs 1070, Opponent 225 Total Offense Per Game: Heber Springs 356.7, Opponent 75 Rush/Yards/Avg: Heber Springs 51/308/6, Opponent 51/117/2.3 Rushing Yards Per Game: Heber Springs 102.7, Opponent 39 Passing (A/C-Yards-TD/Int): Heber Springs 44/71-762-7/0, Opponent 14/35-108-1/5 Passing Yards Per Game: Heber Springs 254, Opponent 36 Punts: Heber Springs 2/43/21.5, Opponent 9/340/37.8 INDIVIDUAL STATS OFFENSE Rushing: Gideon Tate 17/79, Weston Warden 8/70/1, Dalton Yancey 3/44/1, Parker Brown 5/40/1, Xander Lindley 2/34/1, Hayden Johnson 5/25, Liam Buffalo 4/10/1, Hud Haggard 1/9, Jacob Golden 1/5, Ladd Choate 2/5, Bryce Seigrist 1/(-6), Team 2/(-11). Passing: Liam Buffalo 42/69-691-6/0, Zachary Parker 2/2-71-1/0. Receiving: Dalton Yancey 10/195/2, Xander Lindley 7/160/2, Weston Warden 6/45, Hud Haggard 6/65/1 Parker Brown 6/188/2, Ty West 2/3, Chris Roberts 1/28. Kickoff Returns: Heber Springs, Hud Haggard 2/0, Corbin Jones 1/0, Xander Lindley 1/0. Punt Returns: Xander Lindley 1/13 Interception Returns: Parker Brown 2/46/1, Liam Buffalo 2/0, Logan Rutledge 1/0. Total Offense: Liam Buffalo 701, Gideon Tate 79, Zachary Parker 71, Weston Warden 70, Dalton Yancey 44, Parker Brown 40, Xander Lindley 34, Hayden Johnson 25, Hud Haggard 9, Jacob Golden 5, Ladd Choate 5, Bryce Seigrist (-6). All-Purpose Yards: Parker Brown 274, Dalton Yancey 239, Xander Lindley 207, Weston Warden 114, Gideon Tate 79, Hud Haggard 74, Chris Roberts 28, Hayden Johnson 25, Liam Buffalo 10, Jacob Golden 5, Ladd Choate 5, Ty West 3, Bryce Seigrist (-6). DEFENSE Sacks/Yards lost: Parker Brown 2/15, Hud Haggard 1/11, Chris Roberts 1/10 Interceptions: Liam Buffalo 2, Parker Brown 2, Logan Rutledge 1, Fumble Recoveries: Ladd Choate, Xander Lindley, Team Punts: Liam Buffalo 2/43/21.5 SCORING Parker Brown 36, Xander Lindley 22, Dalton Yancey 20, Gideon Tate 7 (4/5 XP, 1/1 FG. MADE: 25), Liam Buffalo 6, Weston Warden 6, Hud Haggard 6
Junior Panthers improve to 3-0 on season
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.
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.
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 STATS OFFENSE 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)
Junior Panthers sink Pirates
By PHILIP SEATON
Heber Springs finished with more than 400 yards of total offense and held Dover to negative yards in the first half in a 30-8 road victory.
Liam Buffalo was 14 of 21 passing for 291 yards and two touchdowns with Parker Brown catching two of Buffalo’s passes for 99 yards and a score and Dalton Yancey catching three balls for 91 yards and a score for the Panthers.
While the offense was efficient, it was the defense that kept the Pirates at bay, especially in the first half where Dover recorded zero first downs on one of five passing for minus seven yard and for a one-yard loss on nine rushing attempts.
Dover avoided the shutout with a 3-yard touchdown run by Draxton Mediano 31 seconds left in the contest.
“We started playing real sloppy in the second half,” Heber Springs coach James Ortiz said. “Wish we could have left the goose egg up there, but we tried to get some more guys out there and for some others to get some reaps.
“Overall the defense was great. We came out with confidence and excitement, and played great.”
The Panthers got on the board with 3:31 left in the first quarter when Dalton Yancey scored his first-ever touchdown with a 3-yard run. Buffalo connected with Yancey for the 2-point conversion.
After holding Dover to a three-and-out, Heber Springs marched 81 yards on seven plays. Buffalo found Weston Warden for a 12-yard pass completion on first down from the Panther 19. On third down from the Panther 35, Warden ran for 17 yards followed by an 18-yard pass completion to Yancey and a 28-yard strike to Brown to put the ball on the Dover 2. From there, Brown carried the ball over to make it 16-0 with 7:09 left in the half after the 2-point conversion pass from Buffalo to Brown.
The Panthers went up 23-0 with 4:08 left in the quarter after Buffalo connected with Yancey on a 70-yard pass play. Gideon Tate kicked the PAT.
Heber Springs threatened to score again right before the half before the clocked ended the drive at the Dover 14.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Panthers added another score when Buffalo connected with Brown for a 71-yard touchdown. Tate kicked the extra point to make it 30-0 with 5:52 left.
“Our offense was spectacular,” Ortiz said. “We got bogged once or twice, but those are very fixable problems.”
Yancey finished with 135 all-purpose yards for the Panthers while Brown had 125 all-purpose yards and added a sack on defense.
Heber Springs will host Lonoke at 7 p.m. Thursday in the 2-4A conference opener.
“We are going to be ready for it,” Ortiz said. “We’ll be prepared for our conference and it’s just a matter of getting them prepared and ready to go.”
GAME STATS
HEBER SPRINGS AT DOVER Junior High Football September 17, 2020 Heber Springs 8 15 0 7 - 30 Dover 0 0 0 8 - 8 FIRST QUARTER Heber Springs, Dalton Yancey 3-yard run (Liam Buffalo to Yancey pass), 3:31 SECOND QUARTER Heber Springs, Parker Brown 2-yard run (Buffalo to Brown pass), 7:09 Heber Springs, Buffalo to Yancey 70-yard pass (Gideon Tate kick), 4:08 FOURTH QUARTER Heber Springs, Buffalo to Brown 71-yard pass (Tate kick), 5:52 Dover, Draxton Mediano 3-yard run (Landon Meador run), :31 TEAM STATS First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 6, Dover 7 First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 9, Dover 0 First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Dover 0 Total First Downs: Heber Springs 15, Dover 7 Penalties: Heber Springs 5/40, Dover 3/20 3rd-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/5, Dover 2/8 4th-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 1/2, Dover 1/2 Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 1/1, Dover 0/0 Sacked/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, Dover 1/9 Total Offense: Heber Springs 422, Dover 91 Rush/Yards/Avg: Heber Springs 14/112/8, Dover 23/76/3.3 Passing (A/C-Yards-TD/Int): Heber Springs 15/22-310-2/0, Dover 5/14-15-0/1 Punts: Heber Springs 0, Dover 4/153/38.3 INDIVIDUAL STATS OFFENSE Rushing: Heber Springs, Dalton Yancey 3/44, Gideon Tate 4/28, Parker Brown 3/26, Weston Warden 4/14. Dover, Draxton Mediano 11/60, Drew Masters 7/12, Landen Canfield 1/2, Talvin Leavell 4/2. Passing: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 14/21-291-2/0, Zachary Parker 1/1-19-0/0. Dover, Talvin Leavell 5/14-15-0/1. Receiving: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 2/99, Dalton Yancey 3/91, Weston Warden 4/42, Bryce Seigrist 2/35, Xander Lindley 2/25, Hud Haggard 2/18. Dover, Landen Canfield 1/11, Colton Shuffield 3/2, Draxton Mediano 1/2. Kickoff Returns: Heber Springs, Corbin Jones 1/0. Dover, Colton Shuffield 2/65, Landen Canfield 2/20 Punt Returns: Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 1/13 Interceptions: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 1/0 Total Offense: Heber Springs, Liam Buffalo 291, Dalton Yancey 44, Gideon Tate 28, Parker Brown 26, Zachary Parker 19, Weston Warden 14. Dover, Draxton Mediano 60, Talvin Leavell 17, Drew Masters 12, Landen Canfield 2 All-Purpose Yards: Heber Springs, Dalton Yancey 135, Parker Brown 125, Weston Warden 56, Xander Lindley 38, Bryce Seagrist 35, Gideon Tate 28, Hud Haggard 18. Dover, Draxton Mediano 62, Colton Shuffield 62, Landen Canfield 33, Drew Masters 12, Talvin Leavell 2. DEFENSE SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 1/9 PUNTS: Dover, Talvin Leavell 4/153/38.2 KICKING: Heber Springs, Gideon Tate (2/2 XP)
Panthers open junior high season with convincing win
By PHILIP SEATON
Heber Springs took advantage of four Harding Academy turnovers and cruised to a 23-6 win over Harding Academy in junior high football action at Panther Stadium Thursday night.
Heber Springs junior high coach James Ortiz was concerned about Harding Academy after the Panthers “week zero” game at Clinton was canceled because of the remnants of Hurricane Laura.
“We didn’t have a game one like a lot of others did, I know other schools are in the same boat, but I can’t worry about them,” he said. “I worry about me. So that was one thing that I kind of worried about is that we didn’t have something to prepare us for Harding as much as I wanted us to.”
His worries were put to ease by ease by eighth-grader Liam Buffalo, who was 17 of 33 passing for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and ninth-grader Parker Brown, who had three receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown and also picked off two Wildcat passes — including returning one 46 yards for a score.
“He’s unbelievable,” Ortiz said of Brown who moved back into the district after spending the last two seasons in Texas. “He’s just an athlete. He has great hands, great feet. He can run and he’s a great kid. We are fortunate to have him. He definitely makes our team better.”
Buffalo had a slow start, completing only three of his first 10 passes for 20 yards, as the game remained scoreless until late in the first quarter when Brown picked off the Miller Owen pass attempt and returned it for a score. Xander Lindley ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0 in favor of Heber Springs with 2:13 to play.
The Heber Springs defense held Harding Academy to 113 total yards of offense — with 52 of those coming on one pass play- and three first downs, and it was after a defensive stop that Buffalo found his rhythm completing three passes for 75 yards — including a 33-yarder to Hud Haggard and a 35-yard scoring strike to Brown — to make the score 14-0 in favor of the Panthers with 7:12 left in the first half.
“I can’t say enough good things about him,” Ortiz said of Buffalo. “I could be nit picky about one or two things … but overall I can’t ask for anything else for my quarterback.”
The Wildcats got on the board on their next possession as Owen connected with Kyler Hoover for a 52-yard scoring strike to make it 14-6 with 5:02 left in the first half. The 2-point conversion failed.
The score remained that way until the Panthers first possession of the second half. After Brown picked off an Owen pass attempt in the end zone, Heber Springs marched 72 yards on 12 plays before the 5:57 drive stalled at the Wildcat 8 on fourth down. Freshman Gideon Tate connected on the 25-yard field goal attempt to make it 17-6 in favor of the Panthers with 7:11 left in the contest.
Heber Springs added another score less than three minutes later. Haggard recovered a Wildcat fumble on the Harding Academy 19 and three plays later Buffalo connected with Haggard for the 4-yard touchdown to make it 23-6. The PAT was no good.
Haggard finished the night with six receptions for 65 yards for Heber Springs while Dalton Yancey (for 23 yards), Lindley (for 21 yards) and Ty West (for 3 yards) each had a pair of receptions.
The Panther defense limited Harding Academy to 21 yards rushing on 16 attempts. Heber Springs which finished with 279 yards of total offense and 14 first downs.
Heber Springs will look to improve to 2-0 on the season Thursday when they travel to Dover for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
