Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle gives some instructions during the Lady Panthers season-opening victory over Nemo Vista last week. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
November 19, 2019
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
The Heber Springs senior girls started the basketball season with a bang with a 55-31 win against Nemo Vista at the Panther Den last week.
Heber Springs will begin a busy week with home non-conference games against South Side Bee Branch at 6 p.m. tonight and Riverview on Thursday.
HEBER SPRINGS LADY PANTHERS
COACH JAMEY RIDDLE
CONFERENCE 4A-4
LAST SEASON: 13-12, lost to Ozark in conference quarterfinals
The Lady Panthers have plenty of experience with four returning starters – Libby Stutts, Jillian Herring, Ashley Spanel and Ellie Riddle – and a fifth player – Claudia Newberry – who played a key role off the bench during the past two seasons.
“Those players’ experience showed in the first game,” Heber Springs head coach Jamey Riddle said. “They showed a lot of leadership and played with continuity on offense and played well on defense. They made good things happen.”
“Claudia is like a fifth returning starter,” Riddle said. “She played a lot of minutes during the past two seasons. Libby scored three points in the first game. That was one of many positives.”
Ellie Riddle led the Lady Panthers with 14 points against Nemo Vista and Ashley Spanel scored 13 points.
“Libby and Jullian (who had 24 points in a senior night victory over Morrilton last season) will be two of our leading scorers in most games,” Janet Riddle said. “We need seven to 10 points a game from Claudia.”
Heber Springs came within one win of qualifying for the regional tournament in each of the past two years. The coach said game experience will play an important role in the team’s success.
“We lost by three points (44-41) to Ozark on the road at last year’s conference tournament,” Riddle said. “One of our goals is to make the regional tournament.”
The coach said the team’s depth will lead to more success.
“We got good production from Mary Shearer coming off the bench at post against Nemo Vista,” Riddle said. “Hailey Bresnahan will give us depth at guard and post. LiLi Chaney is a very good defensive player. She will make good things happen and can make the other team play faster.”
Olivia Norton and Brandy Meredith are two players to watch on the inside.
“They will provide good minutes throughout the season,” Riddle said. “It was good to see all of the players playing well in the first game.”
Heber Springs will play non-conference games against Clinton and White County Central, plus the Conway St. Joseph tournament before the conference opener at Dover on Dec. 10.
“We will play at Clinton before the Thanksgiving break,” Riddle said. “The St. Joseph’s tournament will have a lot of good competition. We will use those non-conference games to work on different defenses and putting players in the best places on the court.”
Riddle believes the team is capable of finishing among the top half of the conference standings and make a run at the regional tournament.
“We need to play defense with more intensity,” he said. “We are not the talest team, but rebounding will be important. That can separate you against your opponent. We need to limit possessions of the other team and push the ball fast up and down the court.”
HEBER SPRINGS 2019-2020 SENIOR GIRLS SCHEDULE
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31November 19 - South Side Bee Branch
November 21 - at Riverview
November 26 - at Clinton
December 2 - at Conway St. Joseph Tournament
December 10 - at Dover ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)
Radio: Lance Hamilton with handle the play-by-play with Jamey Riddle providing the color on KSUG 101.9 The Lake. Panther Pregame begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the game. Listen Live Link
W L CP W L PS PA
Riverview 5 2 52 7 3 337 278
Southside Batesville 5 2 54 7 3 340 246
Central Arkansas Christian 5 2 59 7 3 296 220
Lonoke 5 2 47 6 4 293 297
Heber Springs 4 3 41 4 6 274 300
Bald Knob 3 4 13 3 7 160 310
Stuttgart 1 7 13 1 9 238 341
Little Rock Mills 0 8 0 0 10 202 264
Friday, November 1
Central Arkansas Christian 34, Bald Knob 6
Heber Springs 49, Riverview 35
Lonoke 35, Stuttgart 28
Southside Batesville 50, Little Rock Mills 23
Thursday, November 7
Lonoke 26, Riverview 14
Central Arkansas Christian 28, Stuttgart 6
Friday, November 8
Bald Knob 27, Southside Batesville 22
Heber Springs 28, Little Rock Mills 14
PLAYOFFS: No. 1 Riverview hosts Bauxite, No. 2 Southside Batesville hosts Star City, No. 3 CAC hosts Gentry, No. 4 Lonoke travels to Pea Ridge and No. 5 Heber Springs travels to Shiloh Christian.
NEXT WEEK: The winner of the Shiloh Christian/Heber Springs contest will face the winner of the Pocahontas/Gravette in a second-round playoff contest. If Shiloh Christian wins, they will be at home regardless of the opponent. If Heber Springs wins, they would travel to Pocahontas if the Redskins win or would host Gravette if the Lions win.
CONSECUTIVE STREAK: Heber Springs has qualified for the playoffs for six straight seasons, and 13 out of the last 14 years.
HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX
GAME NOTES
THE SERIES: Heber Springs leads 2-1
SERIES HISTORY: The two teams first met during the 2011 season opener. Heber Springs defeated Shiloh Christian, 36-17, in a game played at the Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. The Panthers also faced the Saints in a first-round playoff game in 2011 at Panther Stadium – a 48-35 Heber Springs victory. Shiloh Christian would return to Panther Stadium in 2016 for a second-round playoff contest, a 42-7 Shiloh Christian victory. This will be the Panthers first contest at the “Field of Champions.”
PANTHER CONNECTION: The first football coach in Shiloh Christian history was Heber Springs High School graduate and former head coach Dennis DeBusk. DeBusk, who went 71-53 as head coach at Heber Springs from 1976 through 1987, coach the Saints from 1989-1995 compiling a mark of 38-35 (though the team had to forfeit 8 wins from the 1994 campaign due to an ineligible player). DeBusk was followed as head coach at the school by current Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.
STATE TITLES: Shiloh Christian has won seven state titles since launching its football program in 1989.
SHILOH BY THE NUMBERS: The Saints are averaging 308 passing yards per game and another 124 on the ground. Senior quarterback Eli Reece is 184 out of 252 passing for 2,676 yards with 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Reece’s favorite target has been senior Truitt Tollett, who has caught 82 passes for 1,336 yards and 21 touchdowns. Junior Cam Wiedemann is the Saints leading rusher with 584 yards on 91 carries with 12 touchdowns while senior Logan Raben has rushed for 11 scores.
FOUR TO GO: Heber Springs senior Julio Rubio needs four yards rushing to top the 1,000-yard mark on the season.
TEAM STATS (THROUGH 10 GAMES)
Heber Springs 54 90 54 76 - 274 (27.4)
Opponent 46 97 90 67 - 300 (30)
TEAM First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 100, Opponent 110
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 64, Opponent 54
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 7, Opponent 11
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 171, Opponent 174
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 56/121 (46.2), Opponent 42/113 (37.1)
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 12/31 (38.7), Opponent 18/33 (54.5)
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 25/34 (73.5) (25 tds), Opponent 29/39 (74.4) (27 tds, 2 FG)
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 16/8, Opponent 17/9
Turnovers: Heber Springs 16, Opponent 13
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 48, Opponent 28
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 81/598, Opponent 71/699
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 612/3527/5.8, Opponent 604/3270/5.4
Rushing: Heber Springs 395/1984/5.0, Opponent 434/1997/4.6
Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 198.4, Opponent 199.7
Passing: Heber Springs 126/211-1542-12/8, Opponent 109/190-1311-17/4
Completion Percentage: Heber Springs 59.7, Opponent 57.4
Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 154.2, Opponent 131.1
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 20/107, Opponent 12/64
Punts: Heber Springs 29/1120/38.6, Opponent 29/975/33.6
Blocked Punts: Heber Springs 1
INDIVIDUAL OFFENSE RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Julio Rubio 176/996/5.7/99.6/15, Adam Martin 161/727/4.5/72.7/8, Landon Johnson 52/239/4.6/23.9/5, Levy Phillips 4/21, Nathan McKee 1/6, Diego Rubio 1/2, Tri Johnson 1/(-2), Team 6/(-51)
RUNS OF 50+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam, Martin 1
RUNS OF 40+: Julio Rubio 3 Adam Martin 1
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 5, Adam Martin 2
RUNS OF 20+: Julio Rubio 10, Adam Martin 7, Landon Johnson 1
RUNS OF 10+: Julio Rubio 25, Adam Martin 24, Landon Johnson 4, Levy Phillips 1
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Julio Rubio 5, Adam Martin 3
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 126/211-1542-12/8
250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Nathan McKee 24/274/11.4/3, Matthew Cook 22/198/9/1, Landon Johnson 21/261/12.4/2, Hunter Kent 16/211/13.2/3, Fate Berry 14/194/13.9/1, Julio Rubio 13/145/11.2, Tri Johnson 12/208/17.3/2, Jackson West 1/18, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Hunter Kent 1, Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 2269/226.9, Julio Rubio 996/99.6, Landon Johnson 239/23.9, Levy Phillips 21, Nathan McKee 6, Diego Rubio 2, Tri Johnson (-2), Team (-51)
KICKOFF RETURNS: Tri Johnson 8/170/21.3, Nathan McKee 6/79/13.2, Hunter Kent 6/52/8.7, Matthew Cook 4/62/15.5, Julio Rubio 3/44/14.7, Levy Phillips 4/37/9.3, Jackson West 4/39/9.8, Diego Rubio 2/37/18.5, Lawrence Baureis 1/10, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 6, Tristan Thissen 1/0.
PUNT RETURNS: Nathan McKee 3/12, Tri Johnson 1/(-3)
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Nathan McKee 2/26, Dalton McCollum 1/4, Fate Berry 1/2
FUMBLE RETURNS: Matthew Cook 1/4
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 1078/107.8, Adam Martin 727/72.7, Landon Johnson 499/49.9, Nathan McKee 397/39.7, Tri Johnson 373/57.3, Matthew Cook 264/26.4, Hunter Kent 263/26.3, Fate Berry 196/19.6, Diego Rubio 47/4.7, Jackson West 57/5.7, Levy Phillips 58/5.8, Lawrence Baureis 10/1, Harley Bresnahan 6/1, Dalton McCollum 13/1.3,
DEFENSE TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 73/26/99, Landon Johnson 70/26/96, Diego Rubio 47/13/60, Kaden Hughes 31/14/45, Hunter Kent 29/11/40, Nathan McKee 33/13/46, Levy Phillips 24/11/35, Lawrence Baureis 30/10/40, Matthew Cook 27/7/34, Nicholas Hitchcock 27/8/35, Jackson West 22/4/26, Tri Johnson 9/5/14, Dalton McCollum 11/5/16, Julio Rubio 13/6/19, Harley Bresnhan 6/4/10, Trevor Weathers 8/1/9, Preston Jones 2/2/5, Harley Hannah 3/2/5, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Devon Doxey 3/1/4, Tristan Thissen 1/2/3, Trent Barnes 2/1/3, Jackson Harrod 3/1/4, Nate Dearmond 0/1/1, Spencer Evans 1/0/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Fate Berry 15, Landon Johnson 15.5, Kaden Hughes 11.5, Diego Rubio 7, Nicholas Hitchcock 6.5, Julio Rubio 9, Lawrence Baureis 7, Levy Phillips 2, Jackson West 2, Tri Johnson 1.5, Hunter Griffin 1, Harley Bresnahan 1, Devon Doxey 1, Nathan McKee 1
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Fate Berry 4/28, Kaden Hughes 4/24, Tri Johnson 2.5/22, Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Diego Rubio 1.5/5, Julio Rubio .5/9, Landon Johnson 1/3, Matthew Cook .5/3, Nicholas Hitchcock .5/4.
INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1, Nathan McKee 2, Fate Berry 1
DEFENSIVE FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Hunter Kent 2, Diego Rubio 3, Nicholas Hitchcock 2, Nathan McKee 1, Landon Johnson 1,
BLOCKED PUNTS: Kaden Hughes 1
PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 28/1087/38.8/7, Matthew Cook 1/33/33
SCORING: Julio Rubio 90 (15 tds), Adam Martin 54 (9 td), Landon Johnson 36 (6 tds), Jackson Harrod 34 (34-37 PAT, 0-1 FG), Hunter Kent 18 (3 td), Nathan McKee 18 (3 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Fate Berry 6 (1 td), Matthew Cook 6 (1 td)
MARKEDTIME.COM PLAYERS OF WEEK
WEEK 10 vs LITTLE ROCK MILLS
OFFENSE – Adam Martin. DEFENSE – Nathan McKee
WEEK 9 vs RIVERVIEW
OFFENSE – Hunter Kent. DEFENSE – Diego Rubio
WEEK 8 vs SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE
OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Diego Rubio
WEEK 7 vs. BALD KNOB
OFFENSE – Landon Johnson. DEFENSE – Fate Berry
WEEK 6 vs. CAC
OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Kaden Hughes
WEEK 5 vs. STUTTGART
OFFENSE – Adam Martin. DEFENSE – Nathan McKee
WEEK 4 vs. LONOKE
OFFENSE – Fate Berry. DEFENSE – Landon Johnson
WEEK 3 vs. HARDING ACADEMY
OFFENSE – Tri Johnson. DEFENSE – Dalton McCollum
WEEK 2 vs. GREENBRIER
OFFENSE – Harley Hannah. DEFENSE – Levy Phillips
WEEK 1 vs. CLINTON
OFFENSE – Adam Martin and Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Fate Berry
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The Heber Springs bench enjoys a light-hearted moment late in Tuesday’s victory over Nemo Vista. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
November 12, 2019
Heber Springs opened up early against a short-handed Nemo Vista in claiming a 55-31 season-opening victory in senior girls action Tuesday night at the Panther Den.
Nemo Vista (1-6) was playing without starter Kaylee Harrington, who was sitting because of an injury, forcing the Red Hawks to play with only five players.
Heber Springs (1-0) took advantage outscoring Nemo Vista 21-6 in the opening quarter and 17-6 in the second to hold a 38-12 advantage at the half.
Ellie Riddle and Ashley Spanel paced the Panthers with 14 and 13 points each, all coming in the first half as coach Jamey Riddle emptied his bench in the second half.
Heber Springs finished with nine 3-pointers in the win.
Kassidy Barnes paced the Red Hawks with 15 points, including four 3-pointers.
Heber Springs is off until Tuesday when the Panthers host South Side Bee Branch at the Panther Den. The junior boys “b” team will start things off at 4 p.m. followed by the junior girls, junior boys and then the senior girls contest.
Heber Springs senior guard Libby Stutts shows off her signed NAIA Letter-of-Intent with Lyon College on Tuesday at the Panther Den. With Stutts are her parents, Jared Stutts and Brandy Famer. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
October 22, 2019
Heber Springs senior guard Libby Stutts signed with Lyon College on Tuesday at a ceremony at the Panther Den.
Stutts signed with the NAIA school in Batesville surrounded by her family, friends, coaches and teammates. Stutts was the leading scorer for coach Jamey Riddle’s Lady Panther squad.
Stutts is the third Heber Springs athlete in the past two years to sign with Lyon College joining Nick Chaney (baseball) and Blaze Nelson (football), who are both freshmen this season.
She will be joining a Scots program that is coming off a 25-8 record in 2018-19 that saw coach Tracy Stewart-Lange’s squad reach the second-round of National Tournament, Lyon’s eighth consecutive appearance.
She will be the first Panther to play for the Lyon College’s women’s team since Sarah Adcock, who played at the Batesville school from 2000-2004. Adcock was a two-time all-conference performer for the Scots and is the seventh-leading all-time scorer at the American Midwest Conference school.
Stutts, who also plays soccer for the Panthers, and her Heber Springs teammates will open their season on Nov. 12 at home against Nemo Vista.
