Heber Springs senior McKenzie Becerra gets ready to serve against Joe T. Robinson on Tuesday at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
After dropping a five-set match to conference foe Joe T. Robinson on Tuesday at the Panther Den, Heber Springs rebounded on Thursday with a three-match sweep of Dover on the road.
Heber Springs, 4-5 overall, improved to 3-2 in the 4A-Central with the 25-14, 25-17, 25-21 win at Dover.
On Tuesday, Heber Springs won the first match, 25-23, but dropped the next 21-25 and 13-25. The Panthers rebounded in the fourth match with a 25-12 win to force the deciding match in which the Panthers lost 9-15.
Heber Springs hosts Rose Bud Monday at the Panther Den in nonconference action before traveling to Lonoke on Tuesday for a 4A-Central match.
Heber Springs’ Katelyn Vanlandingham serving against Joe T. Robinson on Tuesday at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs quarterback Adam Martin attempts to get a pass off as Greenbrier defensive end Brandon Beck puts up his arm to block in first-quarter action at Don Jones Stadium in Greenbrier on Friday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
September 13, 2019
By PHILIP SEATON
GREENBRIER – Heber Springs held Greenbrier to 254 yards of total offense, but three turnovers cost the Cleburne County Panthers a chance a victory Friday night at Don Jones Stadium as the Faulkner County Panthers claimed a 35-21 victory in the last game in the foreseeable future between these two former conference foes.
Greenbrier (2-0) turned two Heber Springs fumbles and an interception into 14 points as Ryan Barnard, who finished the night with 16 tackles, picked off an Adam Martin pass and stripped the Heber Springs senior quarterback on a potential game-tying drive late in the contest.
The Cleburne County Panthers struck first with an impressive 16-play, 80-yard drive to open the game as Martin scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal, to make it 7-0 with 5:03 to play in the opening quarter after senior Jackson Harrod connected on the extra-point kick.
Martin was six-of-eight passing for 55 yards on the drive, connecting with five different receivers. Besides the fourth-down conversion that Heber Springs scored on, the Panthers also converted on a fourth-and-4 from the Greenbrier 32 when Martin found Nathan McKee for a 13-yard completion.
“That’s excellence from top to bottom,” Heber Springs coach Will Cox said, “from what the guys were doing executing to play-calling wise. Coach Bishop did a great job there, and that’s what he does. He’s a great play-caller. He’s a great offensive coordinator.
“(But more importantly) to understand the game we were playing. We knew were going to have to shorten the game down a bit. The longer this game went the more it worked against just because of numbers wise. Really, really great first drive. Great momentum for us.”
That momentum for Heber Springs carried forward on the ensuing Greenbrier possession as Levy Phillips pressured quarterback Jackson Riddle on a backwards lateral. The ball was batted around before Greenbrier finally recovered it on their own 2 for a 35-yard loss.
“Would have really liked to gotten a hold of the ball at the 2,” Cox said while still praising the play of his defense and Phillips. “(Phillips) started at corner in week 1. Diego gets hurt a bit and we have to move him to outside backer, and he made some great plays for us tonight coming off that weak side. Can’t say how proud I am of the way our defense competed tonight.”
Heber Springs forced a punt and ended up with great field possession on its own 49 with 3:22 left in the first quarter, but Barnard stepped in front of the Martin pass-attempt to give the ball back to Greenbrier.
From there, the Faulkner County Panthers marched 58 yards in eight plays to tie things up at 7-all with 1:05 left in the first.
The two teams traded possessions until late in the first half when Greenbrier took advantage of short field as Riddle connected with Jaron Kuykendall for a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 with 3:34 left in the half.
Heber Springs managed to push into Greenbrier territory late in the half, but a holding penalty stalled the momentum and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs with 19 seconds left at the Greenbrier 40.
Greenbrier used a six-play drive at the start of the third quarter to go up 21-7 after Peyton Long scored his second of four touchdowns on the night with a three-yard run.
Heber Springs turned the ball over on its next possession at the 50-yard line, but the Panther defense stiffened forcing a Greenbrier punt. The Panthers moved the ball from its own 25 to the Greenbrier 40, but penalty put Heber Springs in a third-and-long situation and Heber Springs was unable to convert on fourth down.
Greenbrier once again took advantage of the excellent field position moving from their own 47 on a four-play drive to go up 28-7 with 1:08 left in the third quarter.
“Probably lot of people probably expected that (28-7), but us coaches we didn’t,” Cox said. “(We didn’t) just because we know these kids, and they didn’t. That’s a testament to this senior class. They are fighters. They never think they are out of a game.”
And they weren’t.
Heber Springs got a quick strike on the ground as Julio Rubio broke free for a 72-yard touchdown run with 11:47 to play.
The Panther defense stiffened again and got the ball back with 10:06 left.
Heber Springs then used a 15-play, 53-yard drive to cut the deficit to a touchdown with 4:05 after Landon Johnson plowed into the end zone on second effort from the 3.
A three-and-out gave Heber Springs a chance to tie things with 2:26 to play on their own 38, but a fumble ended the comeback attempt as Greenbrier tacked on a touchdown with 48 seconds left to set the margin.
SERIES: With the growing enrollment at Greenbrier, the meeting will mark the last in the series between the former conference foes. The Panthers nonconference schedule next season will consist of Newport, Harding Academy and Dover.
CLOSE GAMES: 24 games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less, including Friday night’s contest.
BIG CAT PLAY: Heber Springs had its first “Big Cat” play (a play of 50 yards or more) when Julio Rubio broke free for a 79-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
STATE RECORD AND COUNTING: As a team, Heber Springs has connected on 108 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 is a perfect five-for-five on the season.
FOX 16’s FEARLESS FRIDAY: For the second week in a row, Wess Moore’s Fox 16 Fearless Friday show had a crew to film Heber Springs. In week one against Clinton, Stephanie Sharp reported live after that game.
PANTHER PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Heber Springs senior linebacker Levy Phillips finished with seven total tackles including two for a los and a sack.
Heber Springs senior offensive lineman Harley Hannah helped anchor the line that saw the Panthers rush for 307 yards and three touchdowns.
SCORING
Heber Springs (0-2) 7 0 0 14 - 21
Greenbrier (2-0) 7 7 14 7 - 35
FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Adam Martin 1-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 5:03
Greenbrier - Peyton Long 6-yard run (Cody Powell kick), 1:05
SECOND QUARTER
Greenbrier - Jackson Riddle to Jaron Kuykendall 10-yard pass (Powell kick), 3:34
THIRD QUARTER
Greenbrier - Long 3-yard run (Powell kick), 9:53
Greenbrier - Long 5-yard run (Powell kick), 1:08
FOURTH QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 72-yard run (Harrod kick), 11:47
Heber Springs - Landon Johnson 3-yard run (Harrod kick), 4:05
Greenbrier - Long 4-yard run (Powell kick), :48
Heber Springs coach Will Cox
Heber Springs coach Will Cox
We said going into this game that turnovers were going to be the key, and we were minus three on it, (yet) two-and-half minutes left and we are down a touchdown. We have to do a better job of holding on to the football. But more importantly, defensively do a better job of creating turnovers. Our guys scrapped on both sides of the football, and that was exciting to see. A team like Greenbrier, a team as well-coached as they are and has the numbers they have, you can’t spot them three series and that’s what we did.
OFFENSERUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 28/120/4.3, Julio Rubio 23/170/7.4, Landon Johnson 4/9/2.3, Nathan McKee 1/6/6. Greenbrier, Peyton Long 20/110/5.5, Jackson Riddle 6/(-26)/(-3.7), Trey Havens 2/(-7)/(-3.5).
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1), Julio Rubio (1). Greenbrier, Peyton Long (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (4), Julio Rubio (3). Greenbrier, Peyton Long (5), Jackson Riddle (2).
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 10/20-85-0/1. Greenbrier, Jackson Riddle 16/18-177-1/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 3/27, Matthew Cook 3/21, Julio Rubio 2/20, Nathan McKee 1/10, Fate Berry 1/7. Greenbrier, Talon Moore 5/31, Bryce Morehart 4/55, Logan King 2/35, Brody Johnson 2/22, Jaron Kuykendall 2/15, Ryan Barnard 1/19.
RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Greenbrier, Bryce Morehart (2), Logan King (1).
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 205, Julio Rubio 170, Landon Johnson 9, Nathan McKee 6.
PUNT RETURNS: None
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 3/46, Julio Rubio 1/12, Nathan McKee 1/11. Greenbrier, Talon Moore 1/25, Logan King 1/18, Brody Johnson 1/18.
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 202, Adam Martin 120, Hunter Kent 73, Nathan McKee 27, Matthew Cook 21, Landon Johnson 9, Fate Berry 7. Greenbrier, Peyton Long 110, Talon Moore 56, Bryce Morehart 55, Logan King 53, Brody Johnson 40, Ryan Bernard 19, Jaron Kuykendall 15, Trey Havens (-7), Jackson Riddle (-26).
DEFENSE
TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 8/3/11, Levy Phillips 4/3/7, Kaden Hughes 2/3/5, Landon Johnson 4/1/5, Harley Bresnahan 3/2/5, Dalton McCollum 2/2/4, Hunter Kent 3/1/4, Matthew Cook 3/1/4, Lawrence Baureis 2/1/3, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1, Jackson West 1/0/1, Trent Barnes 1/0/1, Devon Doxey 1/0/1, Preston Jones 1/0/1. Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 8/8/16, Jacob Keller 12/4/16, Ty Embry 5/5/10, Talon Moore 6/3/9, Chance Embry 3/4/7, Jeremy Hardcastle 3/3/6, Payton Riddle 2/4/6, Dawson Spencer 3/2/5, Bryce Morehart 2/3/5, Nick Huett 2/2/4, Brandon Beck 1/3/4, Avery Thomas 2/1/3, Logan King 2/1/3, Tanner Collins 2/1/3, Keaton Whitley 1/0/1, Trey Havens 1/0/1, Jeremy Parker 1/0/1, Josh Robinson 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Levy Phillips 2, Fate Berry 1, Landon 1, Harley Bresnahan 1. Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 2, Jacob Keller 1, Payton Riddle 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Levy Phillips 1/5, Kaden Hughes 1/4, Harley Bresnahan 1/4, Fate Berry 1/3. Greenbrier, Jeremy Hardcastle 1/7, Payton Riddle 1/2, Avery Thomas 1/2.
INTERCEPTIONS: Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 1.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 1, Jacob Keller 1.
Always taking submissions of old photos, and other collections of old sports notes and scorebooks of any sport on any level, including recreational, as long as it is Arkansas based.
VHS tapes: Can convert them for free. Please e-mail me at: [email protected] or message me on Facebook.
Heber Springs’ Eli Buffalo gets a block from teammate Emmett Dwyer in sixth-grade youth football action on Saturday at Panther Stadium. Heber Springs defeated Bald Knob, 39-6. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs’ Golden Tate runs for a big gain against the Bald Knob 3rd-Graders on Saturday at Panther Stadium. Bald Knob defeated the Heber Springs 4th-Graders, 28-15. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Panther Cub D.J. Nolan reacts as he gets a little help talking off his shoulder pads following Heber Springs’ contest with Midland’s third- and fourth-grade team on Saturday at Panther Stadium. Heber Springs fell to Midland, 6-0. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Radio: 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. You can listen live here.
Heber Springs fell to Clinton, 28-27, while Greenbrier was idle.
GREENBRIER AGAINST BEEBE
Greenbrier opened its season in the week 0 at Beebe. The Badgers led at the half 14-10 while the Panthers led 16-14 at the end of three quarters. Greenbrier exploded for 17 fourth-quarter points to blow open the game. The Panthers did most of their damage on the ground with senior Peyton Long rushing 16 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jackson Riddle was 11 of 24 passing for 165 yards with a touchdown and interception. Defensively senior Ryan Bernard paced Greenbrier with 10 tackles and an interception.
COACH COX ON LAST WEEK, PRACTICE THIS WEEK AND GREENBRIER
CONFERENCE/OPPONENT RESULTS
WEEK 0
Greenbrier 33, Beebe 14
Riverview 48, Brookland 32
Central Arkansas Christian 48, Mayflower 0
Pocahontas 42, Southside Batesville 18
DeWitt 36, Stuttgart 33
Harding Academy 55, Bald Knob 20
Carlisle 38, Lonoke 13
WEEK 1
Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27
Valley View 28, Bald Knob 8
Southside Batesville 40, Cave City 8
DeWitt 46, Riverview 35
Little Rock Mills 35, Jacksonville 8
Harding Academy 47, Highland 20
THIS WEEK
Heber Springs at Greenbrier
Little Rock Mills at Little Rock Hall
Lonoke at Beebe
Trumann at Southside Batesville
Riverview at Highland
Stuttgart at Warren
Central Arkansas Christian at Baptist Prep
Clinton at Conway Christian
Idle: Bald Knob, Harding Academy
GREENBRIER GRADUATE
New Heber Springs assistant senior high, and head junior high, football coach Chase Roberts is a graduate of Greenbrier High School and played under current Greenbrier coach Randy Tribble.
Heber Springs vs. Greenbrier The Series Greenbrier leads 24-14 LAST MEETING: 2018 at Heber Springs, Greenbrier won, 41-16 Last Week: Heber Springs lost at Clinton, 28-27; Greenbrier was idle but won at Beebe, 33-14 in week 0. FRIDAY NIGHT: Friday night’s match-up in Greenbrier will be the 39th in the series between Heber Springs and Greenbrier. The two teams first met in 1969 during Greenbrier’s first season of football. The Panthers won that contest 6-0. Greenbrier won the next meeting by the same score in 1970 before the Panthers reeled off five straight in the series winning those five contests by a combined 106-14. The teams would meet continuously from 1969 until 1991. The series resumed from 1993 until 2002. The teams split a two-game series in 2008-2009 with the Panthers claiming a 33-7 victory at Greenbrier in 2009, their last victory in the series. The teams have met for the past five seasons with Greenbrier winning all five those contests by a combined 225-120 (45 ppg vs. 24 ppg). STREAKS: Heber Springs won five straight in the series from 1971-1975 while Greenbrier won five straight twice from 1987-1993 and from 2014-2018. OVERTIME: The teams have played only one overtime contest, that coming in 1994, a 22-21 Heber Springs victory. LAST ONE FOR A WHILE: This will be the final meeting between the two schools for the foreseeable future. Greenbrier has an average daily membership (ADM) for grades 10 through 12 of 825.67 students for the 2020-2022, up from 809 in the 2018-2020 cycle. Greenbrier is the 36th largest school in the state and fourth largest in 5A. Heber Springs has ADM of 383.33 for the upcoming cycle ranking it 22nd in class 4A and 85th overall, that is down from the 406.67 for the current cycle. With those numbers in mind, Greenbrier has been replaced on the nonconference schedule for the next two seasons with Dover in week 3. Heber Springs will open with Newport (replacing Clinton, who is moving back up to class 4A and into the 4A-2 conference), Harding Academy in week 2 and Dover in week 3. CONFERENCE FOES: The two teams were members of the 12A in 1974-76, the 1AA-East from 1977-1982, the 5AA-North from 1983-1990, and the 4AA-East in 1993-94. Greenbrier moved into the 5A-West conference the following season.
Always taking submissions of old photos, and other collections of old sports notes and scorebooks of any sport on any level, including recreational, as long as it is Arkansas based.
VHS tapes: Can convert them for free. Please e-mail me at: [email protected] or message me on Facebook.
SEARCY – Harding Academy quarterback Kade Smith rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats downed Heber Springs, 40-0, in junior high action Thursday night.
Heber Springs (0-2) held Smith in check early though he did manage a 44-yard touchdown run and successful 2-point rush with 4:50 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats first score came off a Panther turnover. Heber Springs took the opening kickoff and moved inside Harding Academy territory thanks in part to a 15-yard run by Xander Lindley, but an interception stalled the drive.
The Panthers picked up a first-down on their next possession when Conner Riddle connected with Kenan Sneed for an 18-yard pass completion, but the drive stalled and Heber Springs was forced to punt.
The Panthers got the ball back two plays later when Hunter Edwards stepped in front of a Smith pass and returned it 14 yards — late in the contest Edwards would be carted off the field with an apparent arm injury.
Heber Springs then proceed to move the ball deep into Wildcat territory. On third-and-1, Riddley again found Sneed, this time for 10 yards to put on the Harding Academy 27. A third-down run by Channer Smith moved it to the Wildcat 17 while Riddle followed on the next play with a 14-yard run to put on the 3. But from there the drive would stall and Heber Springs would turn the ball over on downs with 5:10 left in the first half.
From there, the Wildcats would go on a 13-play, 97-yard drive to go up 16-0 with 48 seconds left in the half as Smith kept for an 11-yard touchdown run and successful 2-point run.
The Wildcats wasted no time going up 24-0 in the second half using a three-play, 58-yard drive that Kyler Hoover capped off with a six-yard touchdown run.
Heber Springs’ best chance to score in the second half came after Riddle picked off Smith and returned it 36 yards to the Wildcat 33. After a first-down pass from Lindley to Dalton Yancey moved to the Wildcat 13, the drive would fizzle out three plays later when Lindley was intercepted.
Harding Academy would close out the third-quarter scoring on the next play when Smith raced 83 yards for the score on the quarter’s final play.
The Wildcats added another score with 1:30 left when Hoover ran in from 15 yards out.
Heber Springs will be idle on Thursday before return to play on September 26 when it travels to Lonoke.
Heber Springs junior high head coach Chase Roberts after Harding Academy
Heber Springs quarterback Liam Buffalo looks for running room as coaches Drew Lawrence and Jay Bishop look on during seventh-grade football action in Searcy. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
September 12, 2019
By PHILIP SEATON
SEARCY – Heber Springs scored a touchdown in the final minute to pull out an 18-14 victory over Harding Academy Thursday night in Searcy.
The Panthers improved to 2-0 with the win and will be off next week before returning to action on September 27 at Lonoke.
On Thursday, it was last-minute heroics that got the win for the Panthers.
Heber Springs Ty West running up field against Harding Academy on Thursday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
After Harding went up 14-12 with 4:36 to play, Heber Springs marched the ball downfield mainly on the legs of quarterback Laim Buffalo, but the drive appeared to stall with the Panthers facing a fourth-and-5 from the Wildcat 17. Instead of going with the legs of Buffalo, it was his arm as he connected with Weston Warden who caught the short pass and did the rest racing 17 yards for the score with 53.7 seconds left. The two-point conversion failed.
The Panther defense held Harding Academy and Heber Springs came away with the win.
Heber Springs’ Axley Davis takes the hand-off from Panther quarterback Liam Buffalo Thursday night in Searcy. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs struck first as Buffalo connected with Warden with a 77-yard touchdown pass to put the Panthers up 6-0 with 11:21 to play in the first half.
After Harding Academy tied things up at 6-all with 5:41, Heber Springs struck right before halftime as Buffalo found Bryce Seigrest on a 60-yard touchdown pass.
Turnovers plagued Heber Springs in the second half leading to Harding Academy to taking the lead. After a turnover and the ensuing drive reached inside the Panther 25, Heber Springs’ defense stiffened and stopped the Wildcats on fourth down. But another turnover gave Harding Academy the ball back which led to Wildcat score.
HEBER SPRINGS – Greenbrier took advantage of Heber Springs’ miscues and turnovers to cruise to a 41-16 victory Friday night in nonconference action at Panther Stadium.
The Faulkner County Panthers scored 10 points off of Heber Springs’ turnovers, took advantage a poor punt for another score and watched on defense as Heber Springs’ penalties and miscues stalled several drives. It was the fourth consecutive season for Heber Springs (0-2) to open with a loss at home and the fifth consecutive loss to Class 5A Greenbrier (2-0) in the series that dates back to 1969.
Heber Springs, which also started 0-2 last season but bounced back to win a share of the 2-4A conference title, will close out nonconference play Friday night when the Panthers tangle with Harding Academy in Searcy. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Greenbrier took the opening kickoff and marched 60 yards on 9 plays to take a 7-0 lead with 8:17 left in the first quarter. Seth Howard, who finished the night with 10 carries for 80 yards, capped off the drive with a four-yard run.
Senior Rocky Finney put the Panthers in good position on the ensuing kickoff with a 48-yard return that left the ball on the Greenbrier 38. On Heber Springs’ first play from scrimmage, senior Blaze Nelson picked up a 14 yards on the ground, but a pair of holding penalties would stall the drive with 6:09 left in the opening quarter.
Greenbrier would take over on its own 20 and was marching down field for another apparent score before the Panthers created a turnover. After Andrew Johnson connected with Bryce Morehart for a 22-yard pick-up, Nelson popped the ball free from Morehart at the Panther 14. Finney scooped it up and raced 31 yards to put the ball at midfield with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
From there, Nelson took over with runs of 21-, 17-, 7- and 6-yards to push the ball into the endzone with 2:28 to play in the first quarter. The PAT failed after a low snap prevented the kick from being attempted – the Panthers were playing without the services of senior center Bradey Adkins who was on the sidelines in street clothes. Nelson finished the first quarter with six carries for 64 yards, but would only pick-up 16 more yards the rest of the contest.
The Panther defense held Greenbrier on its next possession to force a punt, but the return was fumbled giving the Faulkner County Panthers possession on the Heber Springs’ 18 with 10.4 seconds left in the opening quarter. Three plays later, Trey Havens plunged in from the 1 and after Cody Powell’s PAT kick, Greenbrier led 14-6 with 11:37 to play in the half.
Another good kick-off return, this time by Nelson for 27 yards, put the Panthers at midfield to start their next possession. Junior Adam Martin connected with Tri Johnson for an 8-yard, first-down completion to push the ball to the Greenbrier 40 and then followed that up with a 17-yard strike to Finney to move it to the 23. The drive stalled after Nelson was unable to get untracked on three consecutive carries bringing on junior Julian Cameron, who connected on the 35-yard field-goal attempt to pull the Panthers to within five at 14-9 with 8:17 left in the second quarter.
Greenbrier wasted little time in responded moving 70 yards in five plays as Howard broke free for a 32-yard score to make it 21-9 Greenbrier at the 7:06 mark of the second quarter.
A three-and-out by Heber Springs’ on its next possession would later lead to more points for Greenbrier. The Faulkner County Panthers marched to the Heber Springs 5 before the Panthers’ defense held leaving Greenbrier to settle for a 20-yard Cody Powell field goal to make 24-9 with 2:57 to play before the half.
Greenbrier left no doubt in the second half taking a 34-9 lead with 8:12 to play in the third quarter. Andrew Johnson connected with Brody Johnson on a 24-yard touchdown strike on Greenbrier’s first play from scrimmage in the second half after a zero-yardage punt gave the Faulkner County Panthers excellent field position at the 10:07 mark.
Greenbrier took advantage of a Panther turnover to add a 29-yard Powell field goal with 8:12 left in the third.
Heber Springs moved the ball down the field to the Greenbrier 2 behind the running of Dalton Hall and the pass-catch duo of Martin and Finney, but the Panthers couldn’t punch it turning the ball over on downs with 2:56 to play in the third quarter.
The Panther defense forced a three-and-out on Greenbrier’s next drive and Heber Springs took over at the Greenbrier 30. However, the drive fizzled at the 15 and the 32-yard field-goal attempt by Cameron was no good with 10:41 to play.
Greenbrier followed with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that Ty Embry capped off with a 4-yard run to put the Panthers up, 41-9.
Heber Springs would tack on the last score of the contest with an 11-play, 71-yard drive that culminated with a Martin connecting with Nathan McKee with a 22-yard touchdown pass. Cameron’s PAT set the final score at 41-16 with 33.9 seconds left.
Martin finished the night 16-of-27 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown, while Nelson rushed for 80 yards on 13 carries and finished with 14 total tackles, including 12 unassisted.
BY THE NUMBERS TEAM First Downs: Heber Springs 17, Greenbrier 21 Rushing: Heber Springs 34-167, Greenbrier 30-169 Passing: Heber Springs 16-of-27 for 142 yards, Greenbrier 19 of 34 for 335 yards Total Offense: Heber Springs 306, Greenbrier 494 Penalties: Heber Springs 5-45, Greenbrier 7-60 Turnovers: Heber Springs 3, Greenbrier 1 INDIVIDUAL: Rushing, Blaze Nelson 13-80, Dalton Hall 8-49, Nicholas Hitchcock 7-31, Adam Martin 5-5, Julio Rubio 1-2. Greenbrier, Trey Havens 11-43, Seth Howard 10-78, Ty Embry 5-29, Andrew Johnson 2-17, Logan King 1-6, Team 1-(-4). Passing: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 16-27-2 142. Greenbrier, Andrew Johnson 19-34-0 335 Receiving: Heber Springs, Rocky Finney 6-63, Blaze Nelson 5-18, Nathan McKee 2-33, Seth Dickeson 2-20, Tri Johnson 1-8. Greenbrier, Brody Johnson 5-105, Jason Kuykendall 4-99, Bryce Morehart 3-35, Talon Moore 2-62, Ryan Barnard 2-20, Seth Howard 2-9, Trey Havens 1-5. All-Purpose Yards: Heber Springs, Rocky Finney 190, Blaze Nelson 140, Dalton Hall 49, Nathan McKee 41, Tri Johnson 32, Nicholas Hitchcock 31, Seth Dickeson 20, Adam Martin 5, Julio Rubio 2. Greenbrier, Brody Johnson 127, Jason Kuykendall 99, Seth Howard 87, Talon Moore 62, Trey Havens 48, Bryce Morehart 35, Ty Embry 29, Logan King 24, Ryan Barnard 20, Andrew Johnson 17.
