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.
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.
“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.
“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.
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.
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).
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 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. “
Southside Batesville blew open a close game in the second half and cruised to a 48-20 win over Heber Springs in 4A-2 conference play on a rainy Friday at Panther Stadium.
The loss spoiled the homecoming festivities for the Panthers and queen McKenzie Becerra, and put Heber Springs (2-3 in the 4A-2, 2-6) in a must win situation if they hope to make the 4A playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Julio Rubio rushed 11 times for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including an 84-yarder that gave the Panthers a 6-0 lead with 9:21 to play in the first quarter and a 3-yarder with 6:38 to play in the first half to tie things up at 13-all. The Southerners (4-1, 6-2) used a methodical running game (65 carries for 292 yards) to dominate the time of possession (32:15 to 15:45), passing sparingly but effectively (eight times, completing five of those for four touchdowns – including two on fourth down), to take control of the game and clinch a playoff spot.
After Rubio’s second touchdown, Southside took possession of the ball and drove to the Panther 27 before the Heber Springs’ defense got a stop on a fourth-and-2 play (the only fourth down stop for the Panthers on the night in five attempts).
Adam Martin completed a 6-yard pass to Martin and Rubio ran for 10 yards for a first down as Heber Springs moved the ball to their own 44, but a holding penalty and a sack stalled the drive and forced a punt with 1:17 left in the half.
The Southerners then marched downfield on an eight-play, 61-yard drive that Braden Jones capped off with an 18-yard scoring pass to Jonathan Shane with 7.9 seconds left.
Southside came out of the halftime locker room and marched 64-yards on a six-play drive that featured four penalties (two on Southside and two on Heber Springs) as Jones found Landen Haas for 51-yard scoring strike with 8:35 to play in the third quarter to make it 27-13.
Martin took control on the next drive to pull the Panthers within a score at 27-20 with 7:20 play in the third quarter rushing three times for 43 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown, but the Southerners scored 21 unanswered points to take control.
HOMECOMING COURT: Homecoming Queen McKenzie Becerra. Senior Maids Samantha Hilborn and Maddi Vowels. Junior maids Taleah White and Sydney Buffalo. Sophomore maids Natalie Buffalo and Vallie Cantrell. Freshman maids Marin McKenzie and Lauren Presley. Escorts Bryeken Pruitt and Cali McKee.
SCORING
Southside Batesville (4-1, 6-2) 7 13 14 14 - 48
Heber Springs (2-3, 2-6) 6 7 7 0 - 20
FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 84-yard run (kick failed), 9:21
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Kilynn Dugger 33-yard pass (Skylar Anorve kick), 3:27
SECOND QUARTER
Southside Batesville - Larkin Jones 10-yard run (run failed), 11:24
Heber Springs - Rubio 3-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 6:38
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Jonathan Shane 18-yard pass (Anorve kick), 7.9
THIRD QUARTER
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Landen Haas 51-yard pass (Anorve kick), 8:35
Heber Springs - Adam Martin 18-yard run (Harrod kick), 7:20
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Shane 25-yard pass (Anorve kick), 2:05
FOURTH QUARTER
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones 4-yard run (Anorve kick), 7:17
Southside Batesville - Jacob Dunne 4-yard run (Anorve kick), 2:00
OFFENSERUSHING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 11/133/12.1, Adam Martin 10/35/3.5, Levy Phillips 3/20/6.7, Team 1/(-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 17/88/5.2, Alex Palmer 16/82/5.1, Larkin Jones 13/55/4.2, Brenden Frazier 11/36/3.3, Bryson Duncan 6/25/4.2, Jacob Dunne 1/4, Josh Narramore 1/2.
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: 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, Julio Rubio (1), Adam Martin (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (2), Adam Martin (2), Levy Phillips (1). Southside Batesville, Larkin Jones (3), Alex Palmer (3), Brenden Frazier (1)
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 11/19-72-0/0. Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 5/8-140-4/0
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 3/19, Matthew Cook 3/15, Hunter Kent 1/10, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8, Fate Berry 1/7, Julio Rubio 1/4. Southside Batesville, Jonathan Shane 2/43, Landen Haas 1/51, Kilynn Dugger 1/33, Payton Walls 1/13.
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 133, Adam Martin 107, Levy Phillips 20, Team (-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 228, Alex Palmer 82, Larkin Jones 55, Brenden Frazier 36, Bryson Duncan 25, Jacob Dunne 4, Josh Narramore 2.
PUNT RETURNS: Southside Batesville, Brenden Frazier 1/10
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Levy Phillips 2/23, Jackson West 1/14. Southside Bateville, none.
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 137, Levy Phillips 43, Adam Martin 35, Landon Johnson 19, Matthew Cook 15, Jackson West 14, Hunter Kent 10, Dalton McCollum 9, Diego Rubio 8, Fate Berry 7, Team (-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 88, Alex Palmer 82, Larkin Jones 55, Landen Haas 51, Brenden Frazier 46, Jonathan Shane 43, Kilynn Dugger 33, Bryson Duncan 25, Payton Walls 13, Jacob Dunne 4, Josh Narramore 2.
DEFENSE TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 10/3/13, Diego Rubio 10/3/13, Fate Berry 10/1/11, Nicholas Hitchcock 8/1/9, Levy Phillips 5/2/7, Hunter Kent 6/1/7, Jackson West 6/0/6, Matthew Cook 5/0/5, Kaden Hughes 4/0/4, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Trevor Weathers 2/1/3, Dalton McCollum 2/0/2, Harley Bresnahan 0/1/1, Nate Dearmond 0/1/1, Harley Hannah 1/0/1. Southside Batesville, Alex Palmer 7/1/8, Payton Walls 4/4/8, Zach Howell 4/3/7, Isaac Smith 7/0/7, Larkin Jones 3/4/7, Lucas Nicholson 4/2/6, Jamie Riggs 1/4/5, Caden Clark 3/1/4, Bryson Duncan 2/1/3, Landen Haas 2/1/3, Jace Grigsby 2/0/2, Brenden Frazier 1/1/2, Cole Weaver 2/0/2, Austin Mathis 2/0/2.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 3, Landon Johnson 2, Fate Berry 1, Kaden Hughes 1, Hunter Griffin 1. Batesville Southside, Alex Palmer 2, Lucas Nicholson 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Southside Batesville, Alex Palmer 1/5
INTERCEPTIONS: None
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent, Diego Rubio.
PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 3/100/33.3.
PUNTS INSIDE 20: None
4A-2 STANDINGS
W L CP W L PS PA
Riverview 5 0 49 7 1 288 203
Southside Batesville 4 1 41 6 2 268 196
Little Rock Mills 3 2 14 4 4 165 186
Central Arkansas Christian 2 3 20 4 4 234 208
Lonoke 2 3 15 3 5 232 255
Heber Springs 2 3 14 2 6 197 251
Bald Knob 2 3 8 2 6 127 254
Stuttgart 0 5 0 0 8 204 278
Friday, October 25
Southside Batesville 48, Heber Springs 20
Little Rock Mills 20, Stuttgart 14
Central Arkansas Christian 28, Lonoke 21 (OT)
Riverview 42, Bald Knob 14
Friday, November 1
Bald Knob at Central Arkansas Christian
Riverview at Heber Springs
Stuttgart at Lonoke
Little Rock Mills at Southside Batesville
Thursday, November 7
Lonoke at Riverview
Friday, November 8
Bald Knob at Southside Batesville
Heber Springs at Little Rock Mills
Central Arkansas Christian at Stuttgart
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
CLINCHED: Riverview and Southside Batesville have both clinched playoff spots.
ELIMINATED: Stuttgart was officially eliminated with the loss to Little Rock Mills, but can still play spoiler the next two weeks.
CAN STILL WIN AT LEAST SHARE OF CONFERENCE TITLE: Riverview, Southside Batesville and Little Rock Mills. Riverview controls its own destiny. If the Raiders win out, they will win their first conference title in football. If they split between Heber Springs and Lonoke, and Southside Batesville wins out, the two teams share the crown with Riverview getting the No. 1 seed. Southside Batesville needs Riverview to lose both while winning both. Little Rock Mills would need Riverview to lose both and the Comets would have to win both to earn a share of the conference title.
BEST SHAPE FOR PLAYOFF SPOTS: Little Rock Mills and Central Arkansas Christian. CAC clinches a playoff spot with a win this week or next week, and owns tiebreakers over Lonoke and Heber Springs.
WIN OUT AND IN: If Lonoke, Bald Knob or Heber Springs win out, they would get into the 4A playoffs. Lonoke owns tiebreakers over Heber Springs and Bald Knob, while Heber Springs owns the head-to-head with Bald Knob.
HEBER SPRINGS: If the Panthers win out, they would get in the playoffs and still potentially get a home playoff game if CAC and Lonoke both lose one game. If Heber Springs wins one of two, then Heber Springs could still make the playoffs depending upon the outcome of other games.
WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS: 1. Riverview, 2. Southside Batesville, 3. Little Rock Mills, 4. Central Arkansas Christian, 5. Lonoke.