Tag: Larry McCarty

Goldman added to Panther Den of Honor

Former Heber Springs coach Johnette Goldman with her plaque presented to her after being inducted into the Panther Den of Honor on Friday. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE McCARTY

February 28, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Johnette Goldman arrived on the Heber Springs High School campus 39 years ago with little fanfare.

But it was a different atmosphere at the Panther Den Friday when Goldman was inducted into the Panther Den of Honor on Friday.

Goldman, who coached girls’ basketball, cross country and track and field, led the Lady Panthers to nine state championships and state runner-up 14 times in cross country and track and field.

Heber Springs won 32 conference championships during Goldman’s tenure. She retired at the end of the 2019-20 school year.

“I appreciate the Panther Den of Honor award and induction,” Goldman said. “I appreciate Heber Springs giving me 39 years of great memories. I appreciate (the late and retired superintendent) Dr. (John) Vandiver and (retired athletic director) coach (Dennis) DeBusk for hiring two gals (Goldman and former girls’ basketball coach Joni Hamby in 1980).”

Head boys’ track and field coach Dale Cresswell was a freshman when she arrived. She didn’t coach the boys’ athletes at that time, but left an influence on Cresswell.

“I always looked up to her and proud that she is going into the Den of Honor,” Cresswell said. “When competing as an athlete here, I noticed what her team did and learned from it. I respected her for everything she did.”

Goldman said all of the success was not just her, but others who helped to make it happen.

“It was all of the athletes,” Goldman said. “They made the difference. Jade asked me to marry him in 1985, and he always supported me. He stayed in the background for a long time. Coach (Harold) Wilson was father of the track program of Heber Springs and taught me everything. He made a difference in students’ lives, just like coach Cresswell does today.”

Goldman’s list of accomplishments is long. She, along with Wilson and Cresswell, are members of the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame.

“All of the people made Heber a great place,” Goldman said. “I’ve been blessed with athletes who would do the extra. I remember Susie Storm was one of the best in the two-mile and she sacrificed one year for the team. She was willing to help in another event for us to get a higher state ranking. Susie finished second, but she went on and competed at the Air Force Academy and protected our nation for 20 years.”

Goldman was more than a coach. She received the 2014 Distinguished Citizens Award from the Arkansas House of Representatives.

“When you talk about Johnette, she is a legend of track in Heber Springs,” Cresswell always tries to the best for the kids, not only on the track, but in the real world.”

With all of the athletic accomplishments, she remembers the team when preparing for the classroom. Goldman was a mathematics teacher.

“Christy Thomas and I first became buddies in college,” Goldman said. “We were been buddies in math for a long time. We spent many nights doing lesson plans. She kept me going many times.”

Hammons signs with Lyon College

February 10, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs senior Taylor Hammons signed a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics soccer letter-of-intent with Lyon College at the Panther Den Monday.

Hammons will start for the fourth consecutive year when the Lady Panthers open the season at Harding Academy on Feb. 24.

“I was looking at Harding University two years ago before everything changed,” Hammons said. “I’ve decided not to play in college. I visited Lyon College and it was a positive experience. The visit helped to change my mind. It was a calling for me to go there.”

Hammons scored 17 goals last season and average one goal per game during her career with 11 assists. She earned all-conference honors twice and named to the all-state team in 2018.

“Taylor has meant a lot to our program,” Heber Springs coach Drew Lawrence said. “She is our senior leader and helps in guiding the younger players. Taylor is a hard work. You need that type of a player on a team.”

Hammons began soccer on a third grade team in a youth league. Later, she played at Greenbrier in a fall league before high school.  

Hammons said she looks forward to her senior season and expects the team to have success.

“We will have ups and downs, but I always know my teammates will back everyone up,” she said. “We lost two starters from last year’s team, but we will have a good team. We have a lot of senior starters returning.”

After the season, Hammons plans to switch her focus to Lyon College.

“One of my goals will be to improve my overall soccer skills,” she said. “I need to improve my footwork and working on that.”

Hammons is fourth Panther athlete to sign with the Batesville school in the past two seasons. She joins soccer teammate Libby Stutts (who signed to play basketball at Lyon) earlier this spring and Blaze Nelson (football) and Nicholas Chaney (baseball) who signed last year.

Wood starts work as new coach for Panthers

February 7, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

New Heber Springs High School head football coach Todd Wood wasted little time before getting to work.

Wood took the program’s reins Monday (Feb. 3) and spent most of the day in in-service training for teachers. He greeted the players for the first time on Tuesday (Feb. 4) and began the transition.

New Heber Springs head football coach Todd Wood. LARRY McCARTY PHOTO

“Tuesday was the first day with the students,” said Wood, who also will teach social studies. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. I met with coaches Monday about what we want to do and put everything in place.”

Wood said it will take time, but he expressed confidence that players will accept the changes.

“We will be learning the players’ abilities for the next few weeks,” he said. “I need to learn names and put them with faces. We will be working on putting players in the right positions.”

Wood was defensive coordinator at Russeville High School and talked with David Farr, a former head coach of the Panthers and a member of the Russeville staff.

“Coach Farr was very valuable from the beginning when I expressed interest in the job,” Wood said. “He told me the community, school and kids would be great. He is the one who showed me what to expect and said the kids were dedicated to play well and hard workers.”

Wood said players will participate in spring sports, but he hopes to include them in the transition as much as possible.

“Spring ball is not far away,” Wood said. “We need to immediately start teaching a different philosophy of offense and defense. We need to get the players into a learning situaton as fast as possible.”

Wood said extra meetings may be necessary.

“We have our offseason going on and work primarily in the weight room,” he said. “We will be trying to get those guys working on our game plan. We want all of the guys involved.”

Wood was the defensive coordinator at Pulaski Academy from 2003-2016 and said the Panthers will play similar offensive and defensive schemes. The Bruins won six state titles during that time frame.

“I spent 23 years at Pulaski Academy and that had the biggest impact on my coaching philosophy,” Wood said. “I will fit the offense to the players and put them in the best position to win. We plan to utitize the entire field and spread the defense out. It will take a lot of work and we will learn how to play with dicipline.”

Wood plans a familiar approach on defense.

“We want to fit our defense to whatever a team’s offense,” he said. “We will play an aggressive defense with different coverages in the secondary.”

Wood said players will participate in summer camps and also play 7-on-7, but the focus will be on preparing for the start of the season in September.

“We will re-evaluate everything in June and keep the focus on us,” Wood said. “We will learn where to line up and what we need to do. I don’t want the team to be unprepared. Our goal is have a good grasp of the offense and defense before the start of the season.”

Panthers fall to Subiaco Academy

Heber Springs’ Zach Thomas goes up for a shot against Subiaco Academy Friday night at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

February 7, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

A second-quarter scoring blitz proved too much for the Heber Springs Panthers against Subiaco Academy at the Panther Den Friday.

After Dalton McCollum’s field goal gave Heber Springs a 12-11 lead early in the second quarter, the Trojans seized control with a 17-4 scoring run and defeated the Panthers 54-23 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game.

Heber Springs was held to five points during the final two quarters.

The Panthers, who played with five players at Dardanelle in the previous games, dressed out seven players against Subiaco Academy. Gus Hannah remained sidelined because of the flu and Ryan Crocker was unable to play because of a wrist injury. Zach Thomas and Logan Monahan, who missed the Dardanelle game because of the flu, played for the first time in a week.

“We were running out of gas and juice by halftime,” Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson said. “Garrett Hudsepth injured his knee early in the second half. If we had been a healthy team, it would have been more of a competitive game at the end.”

Heber Springs led for the first time on Adam Martin’s 3-pointer during the opening quarter, 5-4.

Hudspeth scored to increase it the Panther advantage before three consecutive lead changes.

Subiaco Academy led 11-10 going into the second quarter and increased it to 28-16 by halftime.

The Trojans pulled away after going on an 18-2 scoring run and took a 46-18 lead into the fourth quarter.

McCollum scored six points for Heber Springs. Conner King and Matthew Kremers each had 12 points for Subiaco Academy.

Johnson said his team continued the battle against fatigue and lack of depth. He liked how his team played at Dardanelle with only five healthy players.

“The players played with a lot of heart, dug deep and showed a lot of character,” Johnson said. “Dardanelle parents told me how they were impressed how our players competed.”

Heber Springs (1-11 in conference, 1-21 overall) will complete the regular season at Morrilton and host Clarksville on Friday. The conference tournament is scheduled at Dardanelle on Feb. 17-22.

“Both games will be very challenging,” Johnson said. “We lost by five points at Clarksville.”

February 7th
SUBIACO ACADEMY AT HEBER SPRINGS
Subiaco Academy 11 17 18 8 - 54
Heber Springs   10  6  2 5 - 23
SUBIACO ACADEMY SCORING (54): Conner King 12, Matthew Kremers 12, Ivan Martijn 9, Paul Niba 6, Johnathan Mercera 5, John Ho 4, Jude Percy-Allen 2, Justin Luidens 2, Nathan Nguyen 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (23): Dalton McCollum 6, Adam Martin 5, Wyatt Sanders 4, Austin Winchester 3, Garrett Hudspeth 2, Logan Monahan 2, Zach Thomas 1. 

February 4th
HEBER SPRINGS AT DARDANELLE
Heber Springs  9  12  13  13 - 47
Dardanelle    19  14  15  19 - 67
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (47): Wyatt Sanders 18, Dalton McCollum 12, Adam Martin 10, Garrett Hudsepth 5, Austin Winchester 2
DARDANELLE SCORING (67): Blake Chambers 17, Tristan Broadway 12, Sam Williams 8, JT Meling 8, Marteez Jackson 6, Chris Martin 6, Clayton Potter 4, Jordan Metcalf 2, Titus Spencer 2, Nathaniel Griffiths 2

January 31
HEBER SPRINGS AT OZARK
Heber Springs  7  3  10  9 - 29
Ozark         17 17  14 12 - 60
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (29): Dalton McCollum 13, Wyatt Sanders 6, Austin Winchester 5, Gus Hannah 3, Garrett Hudspeth 2
OZARK SCORING (60): Corbin Pelts 12, Jaxson Harris 11, Sebastian Ross 10, Ethan Dorrough 9, Keystan Durning 7, Wyatt Clauson 4,Tanner Bailie 3, Kayden McAnally 2, Kirkland Quinton 2

,              Conference Season
Morrilton          9-3     17-8
Ozark              9-3     16-8
Dardanelle         9-3     22-3
Pottsville         8-4     10-10
Clarksville        6-6     10-14
Subiaco Academy    5-7      9-14
Heber Springs      1-11     1-21
Dover              1-11     5-20  
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-21
4A-4 RECORD: 1-11
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53
December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43
December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43
December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^
December 26 - Rose Bud 68, Heber Springs 65 (OT) *
December 27 - Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60 *
December 28 - Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41 *
January 7 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 26 ^
January 10 - Subiaco Academy 47, Heber Springs 28 ^
January 14 - Dardanelle 70, Heber Springs 13 ^
January 17 - Clarksville 38, Heber Springs 32 ^
January 21 - Morrilton 58, Heber Springs 43 ^
January 24 - Dover 55, Heber Springs 50 ^
January 28 - Pottsville 68, Heber Springs 49 ^
January 31 - Ozark 60, Heber Springs 29 ^
February 4 - Dardanelle 67, Heber Springs 47 ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy 54, Heber Springs 23 ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) 
(* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)

Morrilton stops Heber Springs senior girls

January 21, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Morrilton seized the momentum midway through the second quarter, dominated the second half and pulled away from the Heber Springs Lady Panthers 52-32 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game at the Panther Den Tuesday.

The Lady Panthers (3-3 in conference and 12-7 overall) finished the first half of the season in a third-place tie with Dover and Pottsville.

Libby Stutts led Heber Springs with 14 points. A’mya Everette and Grace Brown each scored 12 points for Morrilton, followed by Cheyanne Kemp with 10 points.

The Lady Devil Dogs outscored Heber Springs 28-13 during the second half.

“Part of it may have been Morrilton’s defense, but we had a bad shooting game,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “We were getting wide-open shots and didn’t make a lot of them. We didn’t have good shot selection at times”

Heber Springs broke a 9-9 tie late in the first quarter on Jillian Herring’s field goal. Stutts made a 3-pointer, which was matched by the Lady Devil Dogs. Herring hit a 3-pointer as Morrilton scored in the final seconds.
The Lady Panthers led 17-14 lead going into the second quarter.

Morrilton regained the lead on a 6-2 run and never trailed again. The Lady Devil Dogs led 24-19 at halftime.

Morrilton outscored the Lady Panthers 15-9 and took a 39-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

“I felt we would come out for the start of the second half and play better,” Riddle said.”I wish we have played with more intensity.”

Heber Springs will begin the second half of the conference schedule by hosting Dover Friday. The Lady Panthers won in the first meeting of the two teams in Dover.

“We need to put this game behind us and move forward,” Riddle said. “We can’t feel sorry about ourselves. We need to focus on what we need to do, not what our next opponent will do.”  

The junior girls’ game will start at 4 p.m., followed by the junior boys, senior girls and senior boys games.

HEBER SPRINGS BOXSCORE
Morrilton     14 10 15 13 - 52
Heber Springs 17  2  9  4 - 32
MORRILTON SCORING (52): A'mya Everette 12, Grace Brown 12, Cheyanne Kemp 10, Jhyla Calvin 8, Kennedy Reel 5, Kaylee Mitchell 3, Mary Kate Tipton 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (32): Libby Stutts 14, Jillian Herring 9, Ellie Riddle 4, Claudia Newberry 3, Brandy Meredith 2.  
4A-4 STANDINGS
                 Conference Season
Clarksville          6-0     10-9
Morrilton            5-1     12-5
Heber Springs        3-3     12-7
Pottsvile            3-3      9-7
Dover                3-3     12-7  
Ozark                1-5     13-6 
Dardanelle           0-6      2-18
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
RECORD: 12-7
4A-4 RECORD: 3-3
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45
November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27
November 26 - Heber Springs 56, Clinton 54 (OT)
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 47, Heber Springs 44 #
December 5 - Heber Springs 53, South Side Bee Branch 34 #
December 7 - Heber Springs 44, Wonderview 43 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 59, Dover 56 ^
December 13 - Marshall 70, Heber Springs 52
December 16 - Heber Springs 51, White County Central 31
December 20 - Heber Springs 55, Ozark 42 ^
December 26 - Heber Springs 70, DeWitt 34 *
December 27 - Pea Ridge 49, Heber Springs 44 *
December 28 - Mayflower 58, Heber Springs 37 *
January 7 - Pottsville 49, Heber Springs 45 ^
January 9 - Heber Springs 70, Newport 51
January 14 - Heber Springs 47, Dardanelle 29 ^
January 17 - Clarksville 48, Heber Springs 41 ^
January 21 - Morrilton 52, Heber Springs 32 ^
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 Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)
(* - Denotes Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Tournament at Heber Springs)

Wood named new head coach at Heber Springs

January 20, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Todd Wood, the defensive coordinator at Russellville High School since 2017, became the new leader of the Heber Springs Panther football program at Monday night’s school board meeting.

Wood was hired on a vote of 3-2. Kevin Thomas, Dr. Ryan Buffalo and Bryce Farmer voted in favor of Wood, while Judy Crowder and Jason Jones voted no.

Wood was one of six candidates interviewed by a five-member search committee and Superintendent Dr. Alan Stauffacher. Wood is expected to be on campus Wednesday and begin his duties on Feb. 3. He also will teach social studies.

Wood was the defensive coordinator at Pulaski Academy from 2003-2016. The Bruins won six state titles during that time frame. He also a baseball coach at Pulaski Academy.

Wood and five other candidates were interviewed in December and then again in January. The position became vacant in July when Darren Gowen resigned to accept another coaching position. Assistant coach Will Cox was interim head for the 2019 season.

“We started this process in the summer when coach Gowen resigned,” Stauffacher said. “We are ready to move forward.”

Stauffacher said Wood will work with a contract to finish the spring semester before he will have a new contract for the 2020-21 school year.

Wood is the first football coach hired that had not previously served on the coaching staff since Steve Janski in 2005 and only the third head coach hired outside of the program since 1974, joining John Richardson in 1989. Richardson came to Heber Springs from Huntsville.

The Panthers will open their 99th football season against Newport in September.

(Editor’s Note: Philip Seaton contributed to this article.)

Panthers expect to name new football coach Monday

January 20, 2020

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The search for Heber Springs’ next head football coach will end Monday night when a recommendation will be presented to the school board during its meeting.

Six candidates were interviewed by Superintendent Dr. Alan Stauffacher and a five-member search committee in December and then again in January.
The position became vacant in July when Darren Gowen resigned to accept another coaching position. Assistant coach Will Cox was named interim head coach for the 2019 season.

Athletic director Brad Reese, high school principal Marc Griffin, former school board member Richard Whybrew, current board member Dr. Ryan Buffalo and coach Jay Bishop comprise the committee.

Monday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the school district’s central office.

Lady Panthers topple Dardanelle

Heber Springs’ Ellie Riddle (left) drives past a Dardanelle defender during Tuesday action at the Panther Den. MICHELLE McCARTY PHOTO

January 14, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

It didn’t take long for the Heber Springs Lady Panthers to establish control against Dardanelle at the Panther Den Tuesday.

Libby Stutts and Ashley Spanel each made 3-pointers during the opening two minutes as the Lady Panthers coasted past Dardanelle 47-29 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game.

Heber Springs (3-1 in conference, 12-5 overall) built a 15-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Dardanelle (0-4 in conference, 2-16 overall) didn’t score until 5:21 remaining in the first half.

The Lady Panthers led 29-8 at halftime and took a 38-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

Stutts paced a balanced Heber Springs attack with 13 points. Jillian Herring scored nine points and Spanel had eight points.

Abby Apple led Dardanelle with eight points.

“Dardanelle is not having a good year, but it can play and make the game ugly,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “I’m glad we played with a lot of intensity to start the game. The players knew Dardenelle’s record, but they didn’t play that way against them. We made more shots than our last game. We did a good job of running our offenses.”

Riddle said the team improved in two areas from previous games.

“We did a better job of rebounding and played good defense by holding them scoreless in the first quarter and eight points for the first half,” he said. “We used different presses to speed the game up. We wanted to keep the ball from getting inside.”

Riddle said Spanel’s shooting was a pleasant surprise.

“We don’t rely on Ashley to score a lot of points, but she is capable of making shots,” he said. “It was good to see her do that.”

Heber Springs will face one of its toughest challenges this season by playing conference leader Clarksville (5-0 in conference, 9-9 overall) on the road at 6 p.m. Friday.

“We welcome the opportunity to  upset a team at the top  of the conference standings,” Riddle said. “We can do that if we will play with the same intensity against Dardanelle.”

HEBER SPRINGS 47, DARDANELLE 29
Dardanelle     0  8 6 15 - 29
Heber Springs 15 14 9  9 - 47
DARDANELLE SCORING (29): Abby Apple 8, Grace Eidson 5, Anette Navarrete 4, Elizabeth Flores 4, Brooklyn Tidwell 3, Whitley Catlett 3, Ellie Stokes 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (47) Libby Stutts 13, Jillian Herring 9, Ashley Spanel 8, Mary Shearer 6, Ellie Riddle 4, Claudia Newberry 5, Lili Chaney 1, Brandy Meredith 1.

JANUARY 9 BOXSCORE
HEBER SPRINGS 70, NEWPORT 51
Heber Springs 25 12 15 18 - 70
Newport       11 12 16 12 - 51
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (70): Jillian Herring 16, Libby Stutts 13, Ashley Spanel 10, Claudia Newberry 9, Ellie Riddle 8, Mary Sherear 6, Kylie Carr 4, Olivia Norton 4
NEWPORT SCORING (51): Jerikah Balentine 10, Kianna Fite 9, Maci Cagle 8, Alicia Neal 7, Hilda Price 5, Taniya Keener 4, Jakayla Dixon 2, Lindsey Marlar 2, Lucy Hernandez 2, Jiniekqua Rackley 2 
4A-4 STANDINGS
                 Conference Season
Clarksville          5-0      9-9
Morrilton            4-1     11-5
Heber Springs        3-1     12-5
Pottsvile            2-2      8-6
Dover                1-3     10-7  
Dardanelle           0-4      2-16
Ozark                0-4     12-5
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
RECORD: 12-5
4A-4 RECORD: 3-1
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45
November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27
November 26 - Heber Springs 56, Clinton 54 (OT)
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 47, Heber Springs 44 #
December 5 - Heber Springs 53, South Side Bee Branch 34 #
December 7 - Heber Springs 44, Wonderview 43 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 59, Dover 56 ^
December 13 - Marshall 70, Heber Springs 52
December 16 - Heber Springs 51, White County Central 31
December 20 - Heber Springs 55, Ozark 42 ^
December 26 - Heber Springs 70, DeWitt 34 *
December 27 - Pea Ridge 49, Heber Springs 44 *
December 28 - Mayflower 58, Heber Springs 37 *
January 7 - Pottsville 49, Heber Springs 45 ^
January 9 - Heber Springs 70, Newport 51
January 14 - Heber Springs 47, Dardanelle 29 ^
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 Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)
(* - Denotes Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Tournament at Heber Springs)

Heber Springs fall to Dardanelle

January 14, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Dardanelle dominated from start to finish and defeated the Heber Springs Panthers 70-13 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game at the Panther Den Tuesday.

Heber Springs played without senior Adam Martin, the team’s leading scorer, who injured his shoulder last week.

Dardanelle built a 13-2 lead by the midway point of the first quarter. The Sand Lizards went on a 10-2 scoring run and took a 23-4 lead into the second quarter.

By halftime, Dardanelle increased its lead to 47-11.

Garrett Hudspeth led Heber Springs with five points. Blake Chambers scored 10 points for Dardanelle.

Heber Springs (1-4 in conference, 1-14 overall) will play at Clarksville starting at 7 p.m. Friday.

Dardanelle    23 24 12 11 - 70
Heber Springs  4  7  1  1 - 13
DARDANELLE SCORING (70): Blake Chambers 10, Marteez Jackson 9, Sam Williams 8, Tristan Broadway 8, Clayton Potter 8, Jordan Metcalf 8, Kendall Bishop 6, Nathaniel Griffith 4, Cruz Castro 2, Jorge Alvarez 2, Trace Bernard 2, Skylar Wrinkle 2, Titus Spencer 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (13): Garrett Hudspeth 5, Dalton McCollum 3, Wyatt Sanders 3, Austin Winchester 2. 
4A-4 SENIOR BOYS STANDINGS
                 Conference Season
Morrilton            4-0     12-5
Dardanelle           4-1     17-1
Ozark                3-1     10-6
Pottsville           3-2      5-8
Clarksville          1-3      5-11
Subiaco Academy      1-2      5-9
Heber Springs        1-4      1-14
Dover                0-4      4-13  
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-14
4A-4 RECORD: 1-4
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53
December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43
December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43
December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^
December 26 - Rose Bud 68, Heber Springs 65 (OT) *
December 27 - Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60 *
December 28 - Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41 *
January 7 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 26 ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy 47, Heber Springs 28 ^
January 14 - Dardanelle 70, Heber Springs 13 ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) 
(* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)

Martin commits to Arkansas Tech

Heber Springs’ Adam Martin gets ready to throw a pass against Shiloh Christian in 4A playoff action in November. Martin recently committed to continue his football career at Arkansas Tech in Russellville. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

January 9, 2020

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs senior quarterback Adam Martin will not go too far away from home to play college football.

Martin, who was recently named to Class 4A all-state team, announced he will sign a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II letter of intent with Arkansas Tech.

In 2019, Martin completed 139-of-238 passes for 1,648 yards and 13 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He was the team’s second-leading rusher with 865 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. Martin ran for more than 100 yards four times.

Martin became the starting quarterback for the Panthers late in 2016 as a freshman. He started the next three seasons.

Martin will join former teammate, Julian Cameron, at Arkansas Tech. Cameron, a kicker, redshirted this past season for the Wonder Boys after signing last spring.

Players may sign letters of intent with NCAA schools beginning on Feb. 5.