Heber Springs’ Harper Jones fights for extra yardage against Riverview on Tuesday at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
October 29, 2019
The Heber Springs seventh-grade football team finished with a winning record with a 14-0 victory over Riverview Tuesday night at Panther Stadium.
Heber Springs got on the board late in the first half as Liam Buffalo connected with Ty West for a 17-yard touchdown. Buffalo ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0 with 9.6 seconds left in the first half.
The Panthers added another touchdown with 7:03 left in the contest when Buffalo connected with Harper Jones on a short screen pass and Jones did the rest weaving his way past several Raider defenders for a 53-yard touchdown to set the final score.
Heber Springs’ Weston Warden looks for running room in the second half of a 26-8 loss at Southside Batesville. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
October 24, 2019
SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE – Heber Springs fell to 4-3 on the season with a 26-8 setback to Southside Batesville in seventh-grade football action.
The Panthers trailed 12-0 before getting a touchdown at the first-half buzzer when Liam Buffalo connected with Bryce Seigrest for an 8-yard score. Buffalo ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 12-8 at the half. Heber Springs got the scoring opportunity after Weston Warden picked off a Southerner pass attempt and returned deep into Southside territory.
Heber Springs had a late touchdown run by Harper Jones called back because of a holding penalty as Southside outscored the Panthers 14-0 in the second half.
Heber Springs will close it out its season on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Panther Stadium against Riverview. The Panthers will be playing for a winning record.
Heber Springs’ Harper Jones looks to get around a Bald Knob defender in seventh-grade football action at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
October 17, 2019
The Heber Springs seventh-grade football team broke a two-game skid with a 20-0 victory over Bald Knob at Panther Stadium.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard in the first half when Liam Buffalo connected with Weston Warden for a 10-yard pass. Buffalo ran in the 2-point conversion, the Panthers first successful 2-point conversion this season, to make it 8-0 with just over nine minutes left in the first half.
Heber Springs added to its advantage with just over 14 minutes left in the contest when Buffalo found Bryce Seigrest for a 30-yard touchdown pass to make it 16-0 after the successful 2-point conversion.
The Panthers tacked on another scored with 10:23 to go when Buffalo raced 21 yards to set the final score at 22-0.
Heber Springs (4-2) will travel to face Southside Batesville at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Heber Springs’ Axley Davis breaks an attempted tackle from a Lonoke defender and looks up field in the Panthers 18-0 win over Lonoke on Thursday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
LONOKE – The Heber Springs Seventh-Grade football team improved to 3-0 on the season with an 18-0 victory over Lonoke on Thursday.
The Panthers scored on the last play of the first half as Liam Buffalo connected with Bryce Seigrest for a 53-yard touchdown pass.
Heber Springs started the second half as the ended the first one as Buffalo found Ty West on the first play from scrimmage with a 70-yard touchdown pass.
The Panthers added another touchdown to set the score as Buffalo ran 41 yards for a score with 2:18 to play.
Heber Springs will play its home opener on Thursday when they host Stuttgart at Panther Stadium at 5:30 p.m.
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: pseaton1970@yahoo.com or message me on Facebook.
Contact me at pseaton1970@yahoo.com or on Facebook.
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.
Battle of the Little Red: Heber Springs vs. Clinton
Heber Springs junior Matthew Cook fights for yardage as Vilonia’s Kyle Vines brings him to the ground during a scrimmage at Phillip D. Weaver Stadium in Vilonia on August 27. See story below. 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. Listen live link here.
Honorary Captains: For Heber Springs, members of the “chain gang” from the 1970s, 80s and 90s. For Clinton, former Clinton Yellowjacket and Harding University quarterback Park Parish.
PREGAME FESTIVITIES
Pregame tailgating starts at 4:30 p.m. with a free concert by Clinton’s Heath Sanders beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sanders, a former oilfield worker turned full-time musician, whose popularity skyrocketed after a performance on Arkansas native Bobby Bones’ radio show in early 2018.
LAST SEASON
A back-and-forth game went to Clinton, 36-34, as Julian Cameron’s game-winning field-goal attempt was no good. Lyon College signee Blaze Nelson rushed 33 times for 288 yards and four touchdowns for Heber Springs, while junior Weston Amos passed for 209 yards and four touchdowns including five of those to junior Austin Drake, who finished with 190 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Heber Springs Coach Will Cox …
GETTING TO KNOW COACH
When Darren Gowen resigned in May to pursue other coaching opportunities in northwest Arkansas (he has since been hired as offensive coordinator at Gravette), the search was put on hold and co-defensive coordinator Will Cox was named the interim coach for the upcoming season.
Will Cox
Cox grew up and graduated from Highland in 2007. After high school, he played football at Concordia College in Nebraska. He then entered the coaching field where he coached for two years at his alma mater before spending two years on the staff at Greenville College in Illinois. Cox joined the staff last season and was a co-defensive coordinator.
He is married to Taylor, and the have a son that will be two years old in December, Grayson.
Offensive- or defensive-minded?
I am more of defensive mind of guy. I played defense in high school and college. I’m just a defensive guy, so I enjoy that.
What will Panther fans see defensively?
You are going to see a big change. We have switched to more of a 3-3-stack defense. We are going to be more aggressive in what we are doing. We are smaller than we have been, but what we have done with our defense is identify our 11 to 15 best tacklers and how can we get them on the field. You have a guy like Landon Johnson that has been the starting linebacker. He’s playing nose right now and he’s wrecking havoc, making our offensive line better. He’s a good football player and the closer we can get him to the ball the better. Defensively, we are going to be pretty aggressive and faster. Since we are smaller than we have been in the past, I believe that puts us in a better situation. As a team that also means that we don’t have to use offensive linemen on defense which puts us in a situation where we can go faster on offense and stay fresher.
What about the offense?
We are going to be similar to last year and what coach Gowen did. We have Coach (Jay) Bishop who coached with him I think six years and really knows the offense inside and out, but just what you do each year, you change with the personnel you have. We have coach (Chase) Roberts in here this year, and him coach Bishop have really gelled well together. We are putting a little bit more of the quarterbacks’ plate this year, when you have a three-year starter (Adam Martin), you can do that so allowing in him to take a little bit more role of ownership of our offense in running more through him and putting the ball in his hands a little bit more. Losing Blaze Nelson, that does change things, when you have him that allows you to do certain things. We don’t have Blaze, but we have a group of running backs that give us a lot of different things. The offense will be pretty similar from what you seen on Friday nights last year, but how we get there will be a little bit different.
On the interim coach tag …
It’s an awesome opportunity. I think this school and administration has really helped for this team to be successful. We lost one coach and brought in two (Roberts and Hunter Davis). They understand the senior class we have is a talented group of kids, a good group of kids, that have been through a lot so trying to keep that continuity. I told our kids that this is a testament to them,and who they are, and how this administration sees these kids. To be the head coach in Heber Springs is a pretty awesome opportunity. We have a really great situation going. I would love for that tag to removed at the end of the season and continue on here. I think it’s a great place.
THE SERIES
HEBER SPRINGS VS. CLINTON “Battle of the Little Red” Clinton leads the series 39-38-5. Games played in Heber Springs: Tied, 19-19-1 Games played in Clinton: Clinton leads 20-18-4 Games played on a Neutral Field: Heber Springs leads, 1-0.
FIRST MEETING: Heber Springs’ first season of football was 1913 and it would be 26 years before Clinton fielded its first team. It didn’t take long for the two teams to meet after that with Heber Springs winning the first game played between the two schools on October 13, 1939, in Heber Springs. The Panthers won by a score of 31-0 on that day. The two teams met again less than a month later on Veteran’s Day (November 11) 1939 in Clinton where the Panthers and Yellowjackets played to a 6-6 tie. The teams would go on to play continuously after that with a couple of exceptions. During World War II, neither school fielded a team during the 1943 season while Clinton did not field one during the 1944 season. After the war, Clinton and Heber Springs would meet twice per season in 1945 and 1946 with the Yellowjackets winning all four meetings. Financial constraints in the Heber Springs School District forced the school to not field a football team for the 1947 and 1948 seasons. The two teams meet again during the 1949 season with Clinton winning both games of the home-and-home series. The teams would go on continuously playing until 2007 when the opener scheduled with Clinton — which was played during the 2006 season at the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic at Estes Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway — was changed to allow the Panthers to play Mayflower instead of Clinton in the same Kickoff Classic in 2007. The series resumed in 2008 and continues today. LONGEST WINNING STREAKS: Clinton has won six straight in the series twice. Once from 1945-1949 and the second time from 2000-2005. Heber Springs won seven straight in the series from 1978-1984. CONFERENCE FOES: Heber Springs and Clinton were first paired in the same conference in 1974. They would be paired in the same conference from 1974-1990. They would again be paired in the same conference from 1993-2001 and from 2008-2013. The two teams will be in the same conference next season when Clinton moves back up to class 4A. The Yellowjackets will replace Riverview in week 9. OVERTIME GAMES: There have only been three overtime games in the series and those all occurred during a four-year span from 1986-1989. Clinton won a double overtime home contest in 1986 (20-14) while the Panthers won in overtime the following season in 1987, 19-12, in Heber Springs. In 1989, Clinton defeated Heber Springs, 13-12, at Panther Stadium. CLOSE GAMES: Twenty-three of the games have been decided by a touchdown or less during the series, not including the five ties. NOVEMBER THE 4TH: Strangely enough the largest margin of both schools in the series occurred the same day 50 years apart with Clinton (56) winning 56-0 on Nov. 4, 1949; while Heber Springs (39), won 57-18 on Nov. 4, 1999. The 75 combined points both teams in that 1999 contest remain the most combined points in any contest during the series. DEFENSE: Of the 81 games played between the schools, the two teams have only combined to score more than 50 points or more 12 times, with seven those 50-plus combined scoring games coming since 2008. COACH’S WIFE: Clinton head coach Chris Dufrene’s wife Heather (Bivins) is a 1987 graduate of Heber Springs High School. TROPHY GAMES: Heber Springs won the trophy for the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic between the two schools in 2006, but since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red” trophy, Clinton has won all three meetings, 28-20 in 2016, and 28-17 in 2017 in Heber Springs, and 36-34 last season in Clinton. Heber Springs will be looking to break a three-game losing streak to Clinton.
Heber Springs quarterback Liam Buffalo looks to get around the edge against Clinton in seventh-grade football action on Thursday in Clinton. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK
Saturday, September 7 – Volleyball at Cave City tournament
Monday, September 9 – Volleyball at Conway Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Monday, September 9 – Golf at Cypress Creek, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, September 10 – Cross Country hosts Josh Park Memorial
Tuesday, September 10 – Tennis hosts Pottsville, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 12 – Golf at Red Apple Inn, 1 p.m.
Thursday, September 12 – Tennis at Clarksville, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 12 – Volleyball at Clarksville, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 12 – 7th-Grade Football at Harding Academy, 5:30
Thursday, September 12 – Junior Football at Harding Academy, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 13 – Senior Football at Greenbrier, 7 p.m.
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: pseaton1970@yahoo.com or message me on Facebook.
Contact me at pseaton1970@yahoo.com or on Facebook.
Heber Springs’ Harper Jones fights for extra yards against Clinton in seventh-grade football action on Thursday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
By PHILIP SEATON
CLINTON – Axley Davis’ three-yard touchdown run with 2:03 provided the go-ahead spark as Heber Springs downed Clinton, 18-12, in seventh-grade football action Thursday night at Tumlison Field.
After Heber Springs failed to score on its first possession of the game, Clinton struck first as Liam Hudson connected with Peyton Sellers for a 35-yard touchdown pass with 10:33 to play in the first half. The two-point run failed.
The Panthers tied things up with 4:33 left in half as quarterback Liam Buffalo kept the ball and raced 69 yards for the game-tying score. The two-point run failed.
Heber Springs quarterback Liam Buffalo looks to get around the edge against Clinton in seventh-grade football action on Thursday in Clinton. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Clinton was moving the ball down the field late in the first half before Lawson Greenwald stepped in front of a Hudson pass and raced 69 yards to give the Panthers a 12-6 lead with eight seconds left. The two-point run failed.
Heber Springs’ Lawson Greenwald celebrates on the sidelines after returning an interception for a touchdown against Clinton on Thursday in seventh-grade action. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
The Yellowjackets knotted things up at 12-all with 14:02 to play in the game on a 30-yard run by Sellers. The two-point run failed.
Clinton still had time to tie the game, but Heber Springs’ Weston Warden’s interception ended the threat and sealed the win.
Heber Springs coach Hunter Davis celebrates after the Panthers recovered a fumble late in the first half in seventh-grade football action on Clinton. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs will look improve to 2-0 on the season on Thursday in Searcy when the Panthers tangle with Harding Academy at 5:30 p.m. Clinton will be idle next week after Conway Christian canceled their scheduled contests. The Eagles are not fielding a seventh-grade or junior high teams this season after not having enough players.
