SPRING ROUND-UP: Panthers open soccer season with wins; Brown, Hooten win state titles

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Heber Springs’ Chloe Flores looks to get past a Riverview in nonconference soccer action at Panther Stadium Monday night. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HEBER SPRINGS – The spring sports season opened up on Monday for four Heber Springs Panther teams with mixed results.

The boys and girls soccer teams won home matches over Riverview at Panther Stadium, while the baseball and softball teams opened with losses.

For the track teams, the senior boys and girls competed at the Class 4A state indoor track meet on Saturday in Fayetteville.

GIRLS SOCCER

Cristina Garcia scored three times and Sam Gilley twice as Heber Springs (1-0) led 5-0 until late in the contest before the Riverview (0-1) added late goal on the Lady Panther reserves.

Heber Springs returns to action on Thursday at Panther Stadium against Conway St. Joseph (0-0).

BOYS SOCCER

Senior Gus Hannah and freshman Braden Biggs each scored as Heber Springs (1-0) opened with a 2-1 win over Riverview (0-1).

Chandler Webber picked up the assist on each of the goals, while senior goalkeeper Jackson West had 10 saves in the night.

Heber Springs will return to action on Thursday at home against Conway St. Joseph (0-0).

BASEBALL

Heber Springs opened the coach Ryan Bridges era with a trip to Bridges’ alma mater, Sheridan, for a nonconference tournament.

The 4A Panthers led until the late innings but were not able to pull out the win against the 5A Yellowjackets falling 13-4.

Heber Springs (0-1) will tangle with another 5A school today in the same tournament when they face Searcy at Benton with first pitch set for 5:45 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Due to wet field conditions, Heber Springs’ season-opener was moved from Maumelle. Despite the home field advantage, the Lady Panthers dropped a 7-2 decision.

Heber Springs will look to bounce back today as they host Nemo Vista at 4:30 p.m.

TRACK

At the Class 4A state indoor meet on Saturday on the campus of the University of Arkansas, sophomore Parker Brown and junior Jaylea Hooten each won individual state titles by winning the high jump.

The boys mile relay team also claim a first-place finish.

HEBER SPRINGS RESULTS:

SENIOR BOYS 
60: 4. Parker Brown 7.38, 14. Bent McClain 7.90
200: 4. Parker Brown 23.83, 10. Bent McClain 25.40
400: 14. Weston Warden 1:02.34, 16. Hunter Warren 1:07.21
800: 8. Nathan Poff 2:21.43, 11. Wade Harris 2:27.47
1600: 7. Mason Harris 5:08.62, 10. Wade Harris 5:18.20
3200: 6. Nathan Poff 11:33.68, 8. Reagan Buell 12:22.27
60 HURDLES: 8. J.P. Bonkoski 12.36, 9. Aaron Combs 14.46
MILE RELAY: 1. Heber Springs 3:55.88
TWO-MILE RELAY: 4. Heber Springs 9:55.49
HIGH JUMP: 1. Parker Brown 6-0, 4. Liam Buffalo 5-6
LONG JUMP: 2. Parker Brown 19-7.5, 3. Liam Buffalo 19-6.75
TRIPLE JUMP: 2. Parker Brown 40-0.25
POLE VAULT: 5. Justin Ogle 10-6
SHOT: 9. Aaron Combs 22-7, 10. Kevin Leal 19-5.

SENIOR GIRLS
60: 12. Natalie Buffalo 8.88, 15. Ava Noble 9.68
200: 7. Jaylea Hooten 28.57, 11. Joanna Wilson 29.65
400: 7. Joanna Wilson 1:06.81, 10. Maygan Jarvis 1:08.5
800: 8. Riley Bailey 2:52.79, 11. Vallie Cantrell 3:00.9
1600: 7. Joy Bray 6:18.98, 9. Riley Bailey 6:33.28
3200: 7. Riley Bailey 14:37.63, 10. Vallie Cantrell 15:12.32
60 HURDLES: 2. Rylee Birmingham 10.84, 4. Jaylea Hooten 10.95
MILE RELAY: 5. Heber Springs 4:55.04
HIGH JUMP: 1. Jaylea Hooten 4-10, 6. Vallie Cantrell 4-4
LONG JUMP: 2. Jaylea Hooten 15-11.75, 10. Natalie Buffalo 14-2.35
TRIPLE JUMP: 8. Taylor Parker 27-11.25
POLE VAULT: 2. Maygan Jarvis 10-0, 5. Ava Noble 7-0
SHOT: 8. Miah Tharp 21-11.75, 10. Lily Hendrix 19-3

 

 

UPCOMING HEBER SPRINGS SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULE
March 1 through March 10
(Times and dates subject to change; italics indicts home games, matches)
Tuesday, March 1st
Softball vs. Nemo Vista (4:30 p.m.)
Baseball vs. Searcy at Benton (tournament) (5:45 p.m.)
Thursday, March 3rd
Baseball vs. Clinton (4:30 p.m.)
Softball vs. Clinton (4:30 p.m.)
Senior Girls Soccer vs. Conway St. Joseph (5 p.m.)
Senior Boys Soccer vs. Conway St. Joseph (7 p.m.)
Friday, March 4th
Baseball vs. Little Rock Catholic (3:30 p.m.)
Softball vs. Carlisle (4:30 p.m.)
Saturday, March 5th
Softball at Southside Batesville (4:30 p.m.)
Monday, March 7th
7th-Grade Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)
Softball at Searcy (4:30 p.m.)
Senior Girls Soccer at Dardanelle (5 p.m.)
Baseball at Beebe (5 p.m.)
Senior Boys Soccer at Dardanelle (7 p.m.)
Tuesday, March 8th
Junior High Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)
Softball at White County Central (4:30 p.m.)
Thursday, March 10th
Senior High Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)
Baseball vs. Newport (4:30 p.m.)
Softball at Bigelow (4:30 p.m.)
Senior Girls Soccer vs. Danville (5 p.m.)
Senior Boys Soccer vs. Danville (7 p.m.)

Panthers, Lady Panthers take second at district track meet

The Heber Springs Senior Girls track team pose with the 4A-4 district runner-up trophy. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Lady Panthers and Panthers fell short of their goals at the 4-4A Conference track and field meet, but came away with success.

The Panthers and Lady Panthers were runner-up in their respective divisions with 13 athletes qualifying for the Class 4A state meet in 16 events at Panther Stadium on Wednesday.

Freshman Parker Brown, who received the high-point award at last week’s junior high meet, scored 46 points and won the high-point award at Wednesday’s competition. Brown was the winner of the 100-meter dash, high jump and long jump and finished second in the 200-meter dash and triple jump.

Heber Springs freshman Parker Brown won the high point award the 4A-4 district track meet. Brown had also won the high point award at the 4A-4 junior high district meet on April 21. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

“It was a good day,” Brown said. “I got a personal best in the long jump. Winning the high point again was a surprise.”

Heber Springs head boys’ coach Dale Cresswell said Brown’s performance was not a surprise to him.

“Parker is one of those athletes born with a lot of athletic abilty,” Cresswell said. “I knew he would score points.”

Kevin King was the other Panther who qualified in multi-events. King won the 200-meter dash and finished third in the 100-meter dash and the triple jump.
Nathan Poff claimed third place in the 1600-meter run and qualified for the state meet.

The Panthers scored 154.50 points, 18.50 points behind conference champion Ozark.

“It is always good to have a lot of personal bests and good performances,” Cresswell said. “We did well. The distance races were the main difference. Poff had a personal best in the 1600. We are working to become better in those events.”

Maygan Jarvis and Rylee Birmingham won multi-events for the Lady Panthers. Jarvis topped the field in the pole vault and discus. Birmingham won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.

Jaylea Hooten, runner-up for the girls’ high-point award, won the high jump and finished third in the long jump, and the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.

The Lady Panthers qualified in three relays for the state meet.

Jarvis, Addison Hudspeth, Natalie Buffalo and Cristina Garcia were third in the 800-meter relay. Natalie Buffalo, Jarvis, Garcia and Birmingham finished second in the 1600-meter relay. Riley Bailey, Allison Wildman, Sydney Buffalo and Vallie Cantrell were runner-up in the 3200-meter relay.

The Lady Panthers scored 119 points, 30 points behind conference winner Clarksville.

“I’m proud of the girls,” Heber Springs girls’ coach Hunter Davis said. “All you can from them is to give their best. I was pleased with the second-place finish. We had a lot of personal bests. We had good effort and left all out on the track.”

The state meet will be held at Nashville High School on Tuesday.

The Heber Springs senior boys track team pose with the runner-up trophy from the 4A-A district track meet. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

BOYS
Team totals — 1. Ozark 173; 2. Heber Springs 154.50; 3. Dardanelle 120; 4. Clarksville 104; 5. Pottsville 57; 6. Morrilton 54.50; 7. Subiaco Academy 23.
100-meter dash — 1. Parker Brown 11.72; 3. Kevin King 12:02; 6. Gabe Tate 12.25; 11. Bent McClain 12.91.
200-meter dash — 1. Kevin King 23.78; 2. Parker Brown 23.97; 3. Gabe Tate 25.11; 10. Alex Roy 26.23.
400-meter dash — 4. Gabe Tate 57.00; 15. Landon Leisenring 1:02.17; 16. Logan Cox 1:04.49; 20. Remington Bradley 1:08.74.
800-meter run — 4. Nathan Poff 2:17.62; 9. Thomas Spears 2:27.70; 10. Mason Harris 2:27.97; 14. Noah Cordes 2:37.03.
1600-meter run — 3. Nathan Poff 4:59.0; 8. Mason Harris 5:14.82; 11. Noah Cordes 5:22.92; 13. Reagan Buell 5:46.09.
3200-meter run — 5. Mason Harris 12:13.03; 6. Noah Cordes 12:24.26; 7. Reagan Buell 12:32.57; 9. Kevin Leal 13:14.56.
110-meter hurdles — 8. Evan Burgess 23.60.  
300-meter hurdles — 5. Bent McClain 47.71; 9. Judson Ogle 51.32; 12. Nathan Poff 54.74; 13. Evan Burgess 56.61.
400-meter relay — 5. Heber Springs (Colt Allen, Bent McClain, Landon Leisenring, Preston Roberson) 53.98.
800-meter relay — 6. Heber Springs (Colt Allen, Alex Roy, Bent McClain, Preston Roberson), 1:46.44.
1600-meter relay — 6. Heber Springs (Remington Bradley, Landon Leisenring, Logan Cox, Aaron Combs), 4:26.21.
3200-meter relay — 6. Heber Springs (Jonathan Henriquez, Colton Cole, Caleb Bradley, Jaxson Cox), 9:45.35.
High jump — 1. Parker Brown 6-0; 5. Nathan Poff 5-2; 6. Bent McClain 5-0.
Long jump — 1. Parker Brown 21-5; 5. Kevin King 19-4; 10. Nathan Poff 17-0; 15. Colt Allen 14-8.
Triple jump — 2. Parker Brown 40-8.50; 3. Kevin KIng 38-10; 8. Judson Ogle 32-10.25.
Shot put — 5. Preston Roberson 36-3.75; 8. Allen Colt 33-5; 11. Corbin Jones 31-3,75; 13. Tripp Young 29-9.50.
Discus — 5. Corbin Jones 88-1; 6. Alex Roy 88-0; 8. Tripp Young 85-0; 10. Remington Bradley 80-0.
GIRLS
Team totals — 1. Clarksville 149; 2. Heber Springs 119; 3. Ozark 97; 4. Pottsville 73; 5. Morrilton 59; 6. Dardanelle 56.
100-meter dash — 5. Jaylea Hooten 13.66; 10. Natalie Buffalo 14.47; 19. Lili Chaney 15.62.
200-meter dash — 4. Jaylea Hooten 28.20; 7. Natalie Buffalo 29.39; 8. Cristina Garcia 31.07.
400-meter dash — 6. Maygan Jarvis 1:06.65; 11. Cristina Garcia 1:12.52; 12. Lili Chaney 1:12.98.
800-meter run — 7. Vallie Cantrell 2:58.42; 11. Sydney Buffalo 3:01.36; 15. Riley Bailey 3:15.28; 16. Allison Wildman 3:18.26.
1600-meter run — 5. Vallie Cantrell 6:26.40; 8. Sydney Buffalo 6:40.75; 10. Allison Wildman 6:57.91.
3200-meter run — 4. Vallie Cantrell 14:14.70; 7. Sydney Buffalo 15:25.48; 8. Riley Bailey 15:45.14.
100-meter hurdles — 1. Rylee Birmingham 17.91; 3. Jaylea Hooten 18.48; 8. Samantha Gilley 20.33.
300-meter hurdles — 1. Rylee Birmingham 52.95; 3. Jaylea Hooten 55.66; 5. Samantha Gilley 57.43; 8. Maygan Jarvis 58.89.
400-meter relay — 6. Heber Springs (Ava Noble, Eva Jones, Mia Screeton, Lili Chaney), 1:03.78.
800-meter relay — 3. Heber Springs (Maygan Jarvis, Addison Hudspeth, Natalie Buffalo, Cristina Garcia), 2:00.72.
1600-meter relay — 2. Heber Springs (Natalie Buffalo, Maygan Jarvis, Cristina Garcia, Rylee Birmingham), 4:37.21.
3200-meter relay — 2. Heber Springs (Riley Bailey, Allison Wildman, Sydney Buffalo, Vallie Cantrell), 11:25.58.
High jump — 1. Jaylea Hooten 5-3; 9. Vallie Cantrell 4-4.
Pole vault — 1. Maygan Jarvis 9-4; 4. Ava Noble 8-0; 5. Samantha Gilley 7-6.
Long jump — 3. Jaylea Hooten 15-8; 5. Natalie Buffalo 15-5; 11. Addison Hudspeth 14-10; 15. Cristina Garcia 14-7.
Triple jump — 4. Addison Hudspeth 30-4.50; 15. Allison Wildman 24-2.75; 16. Eva Jones 23-8.50; 17. Sydney Buffalo 23-6.
Shot put — 11. Lili Chaney 21-7.50; 12. Miah Tharp 21-6.50; 16. Ava Little 19-6.50; 17. Lily Hendrix, 17-11.
Discus — 1. Maygan Jarvis 79-3; 5. Ava Little 67-10; 7. Miah Tharp 61-8; 16. Lily Hendrix 49-2.

Heber Springs cross country team heads to state meet

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs High School runners hope for better performances and compete for medals at the Class 4A state cross country championship at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Friday.

The Lady Panthers, who were the 4-4A Conference runner-up, will start at 9 a.m. The Panthers, who were fourth at the conference meet, will go to the starting line at 9:45 a.m.

Three Lady Panthers, ranked sixth by Arkansas mile split, finished among the top 10 last week’s conference meet in Clarksville. Sydney Buffalo claimed fifth place with a time of 22:53.0. Maygan Jarvis (23:27.90) captured sixth place and Vallie Cantrell (23:30.20) was seventh. Riley Bailey (24:03.50) finished 11th, followed by Samantha Gilley (24:33.10) in 12th place and Allison Wildman (25:05.10) in 13th place.

“Sixth of the 10 girls had personal best performances,” Heber Springs head coach Dale Cresswell said. “Clarksville had a very good team. Times don’t really matter at the state meet, it’s runners’ places on that day.”

Sophomore Nathan Poff finished ninth for the Panthers with a time of 19:11.0. Mason Harris (13th place, 20:12.50), Gabe Tate (15th place, 20:22.60) and Landon Leisenring (19th place, 20:43) were among the top 20.

“Six runners had personal bests at the conference meet,” Cresswell said. “Nathan broke his toe early in the season and recently returned. His times now are faster than last year when he competed as a freshman.”

Cresswell said he was impressed with his younger runners. Seventh grader Sarina Mays (14:45.60) finished fourth for the junior high girls. Eighth-grader Jocelyn Baureis (15:07.40) claimed eighth place and eighth-grader Marisa Kelley (15:08.30) was ninth.

Eighth-grader Wade Harris (12:32.90) led the junior high school boys by finishing third, followed by freshman Noah Cordes (13:04.60), who was seventh. Freshman Logan Cox (13:14.90) finished ninth.

Both teams were runner-up in their respective divisions.

“The junior girls ran well all year,” Cresswell said. “Our No. 1 runner was a seventh-grader and our No. 2 runner was an eighth-grader. The junior high boys also ran well and unfortunately got caught by Pottsville at the end of the race.”

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS
Heber Springs results — 5. Sydney Buffalo, 22:53.00; 6. Maygan Jarvis, 23:27.90; 7. Vallie Cantrell, 23:30.20; 11. Riley Bailey, 24:03.50; 12. Samantha Gilley, 24:33.10; 13. Allison Wildman, 25:05.10; 20. Ava Noble, 27:27.30; 21. Ellie Riddle, 27:31.00; 25. Lily Hendrix, 28:49.80.
Team totals — 1. Clarksville 21; 2. Heber Springs 36; 3. Ozark 67.

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS
Heber Springs results — 8. Nathan Poff, 19:11.0; 13. Mason Harris, 20:12.50; 15. Gabe Tate, 20:22.60; 19. Landon Leisenring, 20:43.20; 24. Reagan Buell, 20:55.10; 25. Colt Allen, 20:57.80; 32. Noah Cordes, 21:58.60; 34. Morgan Salsman, 22:10.80; 35. Judson Ogle, 22:19.50; 38. Aaron Combs, 23.34.80; 43. Evan Burgess, 24:43.70.
Team totals — 1. Dardanelle, 42; 2. Subiaco Academy, 46; 3. Clarksville, 59; 4. Heber Springs, 73; 5 Pottsville, 83.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS
Heber Springs results — 4. Sarina Mays, 14:45.60; 8. Jocelyn Baureis, 15:07.40; 9. Marisa Kelley, 15:08.30; 11. Annalyse Wilson, 15:12.40; 14. Joy Bray, 15:27.90; 17. Taylor Westenhover, 16:23.30; 20. Kaitlyn Pierce, 16:23.50; 21. Lynnlee Presley, 16:34.80; 22. Rylee Birmingham, 16:43.70; 24.  Ella Harper, 17:05.90; 36. Allie Rouse, 18:28.00; 37. Eva Jones, 18:29.30.
Team totals — 1. Pottsville, 28; 2. Heber Springs, 46; 3. Clarksville, 83; 4. Dardanelle, 86.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS
Heber Springs results — 3. Wade Harris, 12:32.90;0;  7. Noah Cordes, 13:04.60; 9. Logan Cox, 13:14.90; 13. J.P. Bonkoski, 13:46.60; 14. Eli Buffalo 13:48.40; 15. Judson Ogle, 13:50.90; 16. Thomas Spears, 13:54.90; 17. Hunter Warren, 13:58.00; 21. Eli Bailey, 14:35.10; 40. Cameron Johnson, 17:21.10.
Team totals — 1 Pottsville, 36; 2. Heber Springs, 42; 3. Subiaco Academy, 77; 4. Clarksville, 78.

Lady Panthers finish top 10 at state indoor track meet; Panthers compete

February 28, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

FAYETTEVILLE — Competing at less than full strength didn’t keep the Heber Springs Lady Panthers from finishing among the top 10 at the Class 4A indoor track and field meet.

The Lady Panthers were third in two relays, placed in five other events and captured seventh place at Randal Tyson Track Center Friday.

Three Heber Springs athletes were sidelined by injuries, while a fourth athlete missed the competition because of the flu.

“I’m pleased with the effort,” Heber Springs first-year coach Hunter Davis said. “We showed that we can still compete for a state championship without all of our athletes available.”

The 4×400- and 4×800-meter relay teams each finished third. McKenzie Bacerra, Vallie Cantrell, Samantha Gilley and Jillian Herring had a time of 4:44.66 in the 4×400 relay. Sydney Buffalo, Taylor Hammons, Cantrell, and Bacerra had a time of 11:13.30 in the 4×800 relay.

“The relay teams performed well and give us optimism for the season,” Davis said. “Jillian just came from basketball and stepped in and ran well. We had to piece our relays together. I expected our relays to do a little better, but it was a learning experience. We will do better during the outdoor season.”

Freshman Jaylea Hooten finished fifth in the high jump (4-10) and sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (10.90).

Cantrell was fourth in the 3200-meter run (13:45.95) and ninth in the high jump (4-4).

Buffalo captured seventh in the 1600-meter run (6:32.35) and eighth in the 3200-meter run (14:24.78).

Hammons finished sixth in the 1600-meter run (6:23.28).

In the 800-meter run, Becerra was seventh (2:53.44) and Sophie Lawrence claimed eighth (2:51.95).

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS RESULTS
4A-4 STATE INDOOR MEET
at Fayetteville
60-meter dash: 13. Natalie Buffalo, 8.72; 18. Jillian Herring, 9.37.
200-meter dash: 13. Natalie Buffalo, 29.57; 17. Jillian Herring, 31.97.
400-meter dash: 11. Katherine Rojas, 1:08.03; 14. Ellie Riddle, 1:09.49.
800-meter run: 7. McKenzie Becerra, 2:51.44; 9. Sophie Lawrence, 2:51.95.
1600-meter run: 6. Taylor Hammons, 6:23.28; 7. Sydney Buffalo, 6:32.35.
3200-meter run: 4. Vallie Cantrell, 13:45.95; 8. Sydney Buffalo, 14:24.78.
60-meter hurdles: 6. Jaylea Hooten, 10.90; 11. Samantha Gilley, 11.45.
4x400-meter relay: 3. Heber Springs (McKenize Bacerra, Vallie Cantrell, Samantha Gilley, Jillian Herring), 4:44.66.
4x800-meter relay: 3. Heber Springs (Sydney Buffalo, Vallie Cantrell, Taylor Hammons, McKenzie Bacerra), 11:13.30.
High jump: 5. Jaylea Hooten, 4-10; 9. Vallie Cantrell, 4-4.
Long jump: 14. Natalie Buffalo, 14-0.
Triple jump: 12. Katherine Rojas, 28-4.
Shot put: 15. Brooklyn Barnes, 24-8.5; 17. Autumn Stewart, 13-5.5. 

SENIOR BOYS
The Heber Springs Panthers placed one athlete and two relay teams among the top 10 at the Class 4A Indoor track and field meet Friday.

Dalton McCollum finished seventh in the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.44.

McCollum, Dalton Scoggins, Brad Baker and Nathan Poff captured sixth place in the 4×800-meter relay with a time of 9:23.10.

Colt Allen, Landon Leisenring, Luke Greenwald and Morgan Saltman were ninth in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 4:02.45.

“They gave their best and performed well for the first meet,” Heber Springs coach Dale Cresswell said. “We got good performance from McCollum and Dalton Scoggins in the 400-meter dash. I believe they will do better as the season goes. The relay teams also ran well. I believe they can get under four minutes soon and 3:45 by the conference meet.”

Heber Springs will compete at the Searcy Relays on March 12 at Lion Stadium.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS RESULTS
4A-4 STATE INDOOR MEET
at Fayetteville 
60-meter dash: 22. Landon Johnson, 7.82; 27. Jacob Smith, 8.16.
200-meter dash: 18. Landon Johnson, 25.06; 26. Alex Roy, 26.56.
400-meter dash: 7. Dalton McCollum, 55.44; 13. Dalton Scoggins, 57.18.
800-meter run: 11. Parker Hill, 2:15.82; 15. Brad Baker, 2:21.67.k
1600-meter run: 11. Nathan Poff, 5:11.44; 22. Brad Baker, 5:24.45.
3200-meter run: 13. Mason Harris, 12:17.30; 14. Reagan Buell, 12:43.22.
60-meter hurdles: 13. Scott Shatterly, 10.69; 18. Trent Nantz, 11.64.
4x400-meter relay: 9. Heber Springs (Colt Allen, Landon Leisenring, Luke Greenwald, Morgan Saltman), 4:02.45.
4x800-meter relay: 6. Heber Springs (Dalton McCollum, Dalton Scoggins, Brad Baker, Nathan Poff), 9:23.10.
High jump: 11. Bent McClain, 5-2.
Long jump: 17. Payton Fry, 15-10; 20. Evan Burgess, 14-2.
Triple jump: 13. Brad Baker, 34-7.5; 18. Trent Nantz, 33-5.24.
Shot put: 17. Landon Johnson, 29-11; 18. Brandon Tate, 29-1.  


SOCCER PREVIEW: Panthers return four starters

February 24, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Panther soccer team will need to grow up in a hurry.
Returning four starters, Heber Springs, which will return four starters, will debut in a preseason jamboree against Harding in Searcy at 7 p.m. Monday.

Jackson Harrod, who led the Panthers in scoring last season, will be one of the players to watch. Defenders Landon Johnson and Lawrence Baureis return, along with Landon Barbee.

“Jackson scored a lot of goals last season,” Heber Springs coach Jay Bishop said. “He played forward for most of his career and may have to become a midfielder. Lawrence and Landon (Johnson) have played well on defense for two years. We will lean those guys, especially early in the season, until we figure out who will play at the other the other seven positions. We will be young at a lot of positions.”

Bishop said one of the big decisions will be who assumes the starting role at goalkeeper.

“Jackson West is tall with long arms,” he said. “Nathan Poff was the backup last year.”

Bishop believes the younger players will step into their new roles, and he expects a successful season.

“We will be looking for players who can play out wide, like freshmen Luke Greenwald and Owen Phelps, and sophomore Gus Hannah” he said. “They need to take scoring pressure off Jackson. We have others players who do the job.”

Heber Springs has a challenging non-conference schedule. The Panthers will play Vilonia, Morrilton, Conway St. Joseph, Greenbrier, Conway Christian, Cave City and Mountain View.

“We will be learning together and use the non-conference to see what we need to work on,” Bishop said. “We want to be ready for conference play.”
Heber Springs will compete against Southside Batesville, Lonoke, Batesville, Jonesboro Westside, Brookland, Valley View and Wynne in the Class 4A North Conference.

“We will looking to put the players in the right position, so we will be successful,” Bishop said. “Valley View and Batesville will be the teams to beat. We should be in contention. We want to be playing our best once conference play starts.”

HEBER SPRINGS ROSTER
Nathan Poff, Jackson West, Landon Barbee, Julio Rubio, Landon Johnson, Diego Rubio, Gabe Tate, Jackson Harrod, Dalton McCollum, Gil Fernandez, Gus Hannah, Zach Thomas, Carlos Leal, Colt Allen, Mason Harris, Hayden Davis, Luke Greenwald, Harley Bresnahan, Owen Phelps, Kaden Young, Lawrence Baureis, Chandler Webber, Jacob Townsend, Lucas Langster, Kevin Leal, Preston Jones.

Heber Springs cross country teams claim top 10 finishes in 4A

2019 Heber Springs Girls Cross Country Team
The 2019 Heber Springs Girls Cross Country Team. Pictured, front, from left, Allison Wildman, Katia Rubio, Waverlee Decker, Sydney Buffalo, McKenzie Becerra, and Natalie Buffalo. Back, from left, Taylor Hammons, Maddie Vowels, Sophie Lawrence, Maygan Jarvis, Ellie Riddle and Vallie Cantrell.

November 21, 2019

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs High School cross country teams capped a successful season by finishing among the top 10 at the Class 4A state meet in Hot Springs and two runners named to the all-state team.

The Lady Panthers, who were ranked third going into the state meet, finished third, with Sydney Buffalo selected to the all-state team. The Panthers, who were ranked 10th, claimed eighth place, with Nathan Poff named to the all-state team.

Poff finished 13th in the boys’ race, while Buffalo was 17th in the girls’ race.

“Our top five boys’ runners set personal bests,” Heber Springs head coach Dale Cresswell said. “The girls ran well. All I want every meet is for each runner go out and do their best.”

For the girls, Vallie Cantrell and McKenzie Becerra finished among the top 50 at 24th and 34th places, respectively. Taylor Hammons (52nd), Maygan Jarvis (54th), Sophie Lawrence (69th), Allison Wildman (89th) and Waverlee Decker (92nd) were in the top 100. Katherine Rojas was 120th.

Four boys’ runners finished among the top 100 — Parker Hill (57th), Gabe Tate (67th), Mason Harris (80th) and Brad Baker (90th). Reagan Buell (128th), Dalton Scoggins (168th), Scott Shatterly (168th) and Evan Burgess (192nd) also competed.

“Our standards at Heber Springs are always high,” Cresswell said. “We have a lot of good young runners, like Harris and Hill. Hill missed most of the season because of an illness. He ran at the conference meet and one of the reasons the team moved up two spots at the state meet.”

The future looks bright for both programs.

“We have a lot of good young runners coming up,” Cresswell said. “We have runners that will come up from the junior high team who can help us next year. Both teams worked hard all season. They will never hear any complaints from me when they work hard and do their best.”

Cresswell hopes momentum will carry over into the spring for track and field.

“All of them will be on the track team, but not just as distance runners,” he said. “We expect a few football players to compete. I expect us to have a successful track season. “

The 2019 Heber Springs Boys Country Team

August 14, 2019

The 2019 Heber Springs Boys Cross Country Team. Pictured, front, from left, Reagan Buell, Brad Baker, Evan Burgess, Scott Shatterly, and Trent Nantz. Back, from left, Nathan Poff, Trent Barnes, Gabe Tate, and Mason Harris. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO