Brown, Panthers lights out on Senior Night against Riverview

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Heber Springs’ Aiden Isom picks up some yards late in the Panther’s 41-0 victory over Riverview Friday at Panther Stadium. Isom was one of several ninth graders to see action against the Raiders. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By PHILIP SEATON
MarkedTime.com Publisher

Parker Brown was electric on a night when the Heber Springs Panthers needed some, literally.

Brown staked the Panthers to an early 14-0 lead against Riverview Friday night on the strength of two punts returned for a touchdown and would finish the night scoring five touchdowns and 322 all-purpose yards in a 41-0 victory over the Raiders.

Heber Springs (6-3, 5-1 in the 2-4A conference) was celebrating “senior night” with the players donning black jerseys for the first time in several years and added black pants for an all-black look.

After the first play from scrimmage, the field conditions almost mirrored the Panthers uniform look. A five-yard run by Xander Lindley opened the game but due to problems with an electrical box under the home bleachers, the game was paused, and the home bleachers were emptied as a precaution and one bank of lights on the home sideline on the north end went out.

A short pause resulted but play resumed after both teams agreed to play with only three out of the four banks of lights creating a surreal experience with the home fans spread across the track and the north endzone.

On the first play, Lindley connected with Weston Warden for a 37-yard completion, but a turnover on the next snap gave the ball to Riverview at the Raider 22.
But the Panther defense forced a three-and-out, Ryder Conway lofted a punt that Brown fielded at the Panther 46. The senior sprinted almost untouched weaving through defenders not stopping until he high-fived injured teammate Liam Buffalo who was in the back of the end zone. Buffalo had knee surgery last Friday and was at the game in support of his teammates.

Senior Gideon Tate connected on the PAT to make it 7-0 with 8:19 left in the opening quarter.

With the game clock being kept on the field by the officials after the game clock was turned off when the press box was emptied, Riverview put together an almost three-minute drive before Eli Buffalo threw Trevion Greer for a seven-yard loss forcing another Conway punt from the Panther 45.

Brown took the punt at the 19 and sprinted for another score with 4:58 to play in the first quarter. Tate’s kick made it 14-0.

With the two punt returns for a score, Brown tied the single game record that he had set earlier this season against Bald Knob. His four punt returns for a score set the school record for most in a season and also set the career mark as well.

The score would remain that way as neither team threatened until late in the first half.

After Jacob McMullin recovered a Raider fumble at the Riverview 21, Lindley would connect with Brown in the end zone with 31 seconds left in the first half. Tate’s PAT made it 21-0.

At halftime, the lights were restored, and fans were able to return to the bleachers.

On the Panthers first possession of the half, Brown would add his third score of the night this time taking a pitch out from Lindley and racing 49 yards for the touchdown with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter.

Josiah Riggs interception gave Heber Springs possession of the ball on its own 15. Riggs saw significant playing time with starter Elijah Jones out of the games. The freshman finished with five total tackles including one for a loss.

Riggs was one of several ninth graders to see playing time.

“It gives us some depth,” Heber Springs coach Van Paschal said. “When Elijah went down with a concussion, that’s why Josiah was getting to play there. It’s big for a ninth grader to get in there and get some reps.”

On second down, Brown ran 55 yards to put the ball the Raider 30. On third-and-11 from the 31, Warden would take a pitch from Lindley and sprinted for another score with 1:49 to play in the third quarter. Tate’s PAT kick was blocked leaving the score 34-0.

Heber Springs was penalized 13 times for 105 yards on the night, and four of those helped the Raiders move to the ball to the Panther 19 on their next drive.

Senior Zachary Parker would make sure that Riverview wouldn’t reach the endzone stepping in front of the Conway pass at the 4 returning the ball back to the 50.
“I talk about senior leadership all of the time,” Paschal said. “They do what we ask them to do all of the time. They believe in what we are preaching.

“Even when we struggled against Batesville Southside, ‘coach we are bought in.’ Then Harding, ‘we are bought in’, so they get it, and they are doing a great job.”

After a holding penalty knocked the Heber Springs back six yards, Brown would cap off the score sprinting 56 yards for the score. Tate’s PAT made it 41-0 with 10:29 left in the contest.

It was the second time in his career that Brown has scored five touchdowns. As a sophomore Brown had five touchdowns against Central Arkansas Christian in 2021. It was the third most touchdowns in game in school history. Jerry Pilkington has the record with eight touchdowns against Ola in 1949 while Markeyvus Mays had 7 touchdowns against Cave City in 2010. Brown, Mays and Pilkington are the only players in school history to have five or more touchdowns, and all three have done it twice.

The Heber Springs defense recorded its third shutout of the season, its most shutouts since 2009.

Brodie Basford and Warden each finished with 11 tackles to pace the Panthers.

Heber Springs finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed out of the 2-4A conference. The Panthers will face Lincoln, the No. 4 seed out of the 1-4A, Friday night at Panther Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the two schools.

“New round for these guys I know, but you have to buy in and tune in right now or every game is your last from here on out,” Paschal said. “That’s why everything has to be done correctly. You have to do the little things right.”

GAME 9
RIVERVIEW AT HEBER SPRINGS
SENIOR HIGH
NOVEMBER 3, 2023 
TEAM STATS
TIME OF POSSESSION: N/A
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS: Heber Springs 10, Riverview 9
BY RUSH: Heber Springs 9, Riverview 6
BY PASS: Heber Springs 1, Riverview 1
BY PENALTY: Heber Springs 0, Riverview 2
TEAM RUSHING: Heber Springs 36/281/3/7.8, Riverview 30/91/0/3.3
TEAM PASSING: Heber Springs 2/4-52-1/0, Riverview 9/22-43-0/4
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs 40/333/8.3, Riverview 52/134/2.6
3RD CONVERSION: Heber Springs 4/8, Riverview 1/9
4TH CONVERSION: Heber Springs 1/1, Riverview 1/1
RED-ZONE: Heber Springs 1/1, Riverview 0/0
TURNOVERS: Heber Springs 2, Riverview 6
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: Heber Springs 20, Riverview 0
FUMBLES/LOST: Heber Springs 4/2, Riverview 2/2
PENALTIES: Heber Springs 13/105, Riverview 2/10
KICKOFF RETURNS: Heber Springs 0, Riverview 4/13
PUNT RETURNS: Heber Springs 2/135/2, Riverview 2/11
PUNTS: Heber Springs 3/109/36.3, Riverview 4/114/28.5
PUNTS INSIDE 20: Heber Springs 0, Riverview 1
SACKS: Heber Springs 0, Harding 1/6
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs 7/28, Riverview 5/17
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Bryce Seigrist 17/62/3.7, Xander Lindley 8/(-1), Parker Brown 4/163/2, Aiden Isom 3/18, Lachlan Tubbs 2/10, Weston Warden 1/31/1, Team 1/(-2). Riverview, Trevion Greer 15/52/3.5, Nik Franklin 8/22, Ryder Conway 5/(-2), Josiah Cypert 1/16, Robert Mohr 1/3.
PASSING: Heber Springs, Xander Lindley 2/4-52-1/0. Riverview, Ryder Conway 8/20-37-0/3, Dredyn Hulsey 1/2-6-0/1.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Weston Warden 1/38, Parker Brown 1/14/1. Riverview, K.K. Williams 4/6, Nik Franklin 3/16, Trevion Greer 2/21.
KICKOFF RETURNS: Riverview, Trevion Greer 3/10, Chandler Beard 1/3
PUNT RETURNS: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 2/135/2. Riverview 2/11.
INTERCEPTION RETURN: Zachary Parker 1/46, Parker Brown 1/6
FUMBLE RETURN: Parker Brown 1/4
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Parker Brown 322
PUNTING: Heber Springs, Gideon Tate 3/109/36.3. Riverview, Ryder Conway 4/114/1/28.5
SCORING
PAT KICKS: Gideon Tate 5/6 (Blocked)
FIELD GOALS: Paul Krause (missed 43)
POINTS: Parker Brown 30, Weston Warden 6, Gideon Tate 5
DEFENSIVE STATS
SACKS: None
INDIVIDUAL SACK TOTAL: None
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Jacob McMullin, Parker Brown
FORCED FUMBLES: None
INTERCEPTIONS: Parker Brown, Josiah Riggs, Zachary Parker, Weston Warden
PBU: Carter Julian, Eli Buffalo, Corbin Jones
QB HURRIES: Brodie Basford, Carter Julian, Jordan Tidwell

TACKLES (U/A/TFL - TOTAL)
Weston Warden    4 7 0 11
Eli Buffalo      1 4 1 5
Nate Eaton       0 2 0 2
Parker Brown     1 1 0 2
Brodie Basford   4 7 2 11
Zachary Parker   1 6 0 7
Jordan Tidwell   0 1 0 1
Jacob McMullin   1 4 0 5
Josiah Riggs     2 3 1 5
Logan Rutledge   2 3 0 5
Corbin Jones     2 2 2 4
Dyce Young       0 1 0 1
Emmett Dwyer     1 0 0 1
Carter Julian    0 3 0 3
Bryce Seigrist   0 1 0 1
Luke Elliott     0 1 0 1
Greg Williams    0 1 0 1
Logan Lozeau     0 1 0 1
Dustin Stone     1 0 1 1

Junior Cats open conference play with victory at Riverview

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Heber Springs kicker Golden Tate kicks off against Riverview in junior high action in Searcy. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By PHILIP SEATON
MarkedTime.com Publisher

SEARCY – Heber Springs opened 2-4A conference play with a 22-14 victory over Riverview in junior high action at Raider Stadium.

Heber Springs (2-2) rushed for 202 yards while holding Riverview to 16 yards rushing and 39 total yards of offense.

However, the Raiders did have some success in the return game taking three kickoffs back for 119 yards, including a 58-yard return by R.J. Pruitt on the opening kick of the game.

Pruitt’s return set the Raiders up at the Panther 11 and two plays later, Riverview had the lead after Zayshawn Greer scored from 2. Heber Springs stopped the 2-point conversion attempt with 6:20 showing on the first-quarter clock.

It the Panthers less than 35 seconds to respond. Taking over after a failed onside-kick attempt at the Raider 48, Josiah Riggs ran for a first down to the 30-yard line then on the next play, Aiden Isom raced 30 yards for the score. The 2-point conversion failed, and the score was tied at 6-all with 5:48 remaining in the first quarter.

The score would remain that way until the second quarter. Heber Springs’s defense had stopped the Raiders at the Panther 16 with 7:13 left in the half. Heber Springs then used a 15-play drive to chew up most of the second-quarter clock as quarterback Lachlan Tubbs kept for a three-yard score. While Tubbs got the touchdown, Landon Brown did most of the work on the drive carrying the ball nine times for 36 yards. The 2-point conversion failed with :51 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

It didn’t take long for the Raiders to respond after Tyeler Hart returned the kickoff 41 yards to put the ball at the Panther 26. After a three-yard run, Braxton Hobbs connected with Brody Hawkins for the game-tying touchdown. Hobbs’ 2-point conversion gave the Raiders a 14-12 lead with 25 seconds left in the half.

Heber Springs was not finished striking just as quick. A three-yard run by Isom moved the ball to the Panther 40, then Tubbs connected with Riggs, who ran 60 yards for a score. Brown ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Panthers a 20-14 advantage at the break.

There would be no touchdowns in the second half, but a long Heber Springs drive did eventually result in points.

With 1:02 remaining in the third quarter, the Panthers took over on the Raider 42. Heber Springs then used a 13-play drive that moved the ball 40 yards, but more importantly took 6:27 off the game clock.

After Brown was stopped short on a fourth-and-goal from Raider 2, the Heber Springs defense stopped Hobbs in the end zone for the safety.

The Panthers failed to move on the ball after ensuing the free kick, but Rhett Herring picked off a Hobbs pass attempt and returned it to the Raider 15 as the game ended.

HEBER SPRINGS AT RIVERVIEW
JUNIOR HIGH
September 14, 2023
TEAM STATS
TIME OF POSSESSION: Heber Springs 22:01, Riverview 9:59
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS: Heber Springs 12, Riverview 2
BY RUSH: Heber Springs 8, Riverview 1
BY PASS: Heber Springs 2, Riverview 1
BY PENALTY: Heber Springs 2, Riverview 0
TEAM RUSHING: Heber Springs 43/202/4.7/2, Riverview 18/26/1.4/1
TEAM PASSING: Heber Springs 3/4-98-1/0, Riverview 1/3-23-1/1
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs 47/300/6.4, Riverview 21/49/2.3
3RD CONVERSION: Heber Springs 3/8, Riverview 1/5
4TH CONVERSION: Heber Springs 1/5, Riverview 0/1
TURNOVERS: Heber Springs 1, Riverview 1
FUMBLES/LOST: Heber Springs 3/1, Riverview 0/0
PENALTIES: Heber Springs 12/73, Riverview 5/45
RETURNS: Heber Springs 2/26, Riverview 3/119
PUNTS: Heber Springs 0/0, Riverview 2/22
SACKS: Heber Springs 1/20, Riverview 1/3
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs 4/27, Riverview 4/12
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Landon Brown 18/60/3.3, Aiden Isom 14/98/7.0/1, Lachlan Tubbs 7/9/1.3/1, Josiah Riggs 4/35. Riverview, Braxton Hobbs 7/(-2), Zayshawn Greer 3/3, Ryan Lamb 2/3, R.J. Pruitt 1/0, Brody Hawkins 5/12
PASSING: Heber Springs, Lachlan Tubbs 3/4-98-1/0. Riverview, Braxton Hobbs 1/3-23-1/1
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Josiah Riggs 2/73/1, Aiden Isom 1/25. Riverview, Brody Hawkins 1/23/1
KICKOFF RETURNS: Riverview, 3/119/39.7, R.J. Pruitt 1/58, Tyeler Hart 1/41, Brody Hawkins 1/20
PUNT RETURNS: Heber Springs, Aiden Isom 1/1
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Heber Springs, Rhett Herring 1/25
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Aiden Isom 124, Josiah Riggs 108

7TH-GRADE FOOTBALL: Heber Springs 30, Riverview 12

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Heber Springs’ Lane Bradley picks up big yards for the Heber Springs seventh-grade Panthers against Riverview. The Cubs improved to 2-1 on the season with a 30-12 victory at Raider Stadium in Searcy on Thursday night. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Heber Springs junior boys host Ozark

Heber Springs’ Luke Greenwald passes the ball against Conway Blue on November 23 at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

December 20, 2019

The Heber Springs junior boys will host Ozark tonight at the Panther Den as the Panthers look to improve to 2-0 in the conference.

During the Panthers last outing on Monday, Conner Riddle finished 18 points including 11 points in the fourth quarter as Heber Springs improved 4-8 on the season with a 36-35 on Monday at White County Central. Riddle was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final quarter.

Riddle (15) and Bauer Pruitt (10) were also in double figures in a loss at Marshall on Dec. 12.

On Dec. 10, the Panthers avenged an earlier loss to Dover at the Marshall tournament with a 45-33 victory at Dover to open 4A-4 play. Riddle had 19 points in the victory.

That victory ended a four-game losing streak in which the Panthers dropped both contests on Nov. 23 at their own tournament at the Panther Den to Cabot South and Conway Blue.

Heber Springs claimed its second win of the season on Nov. 19 at home against South Side Bee Branch, 44-38. Riddle finished with 26 points while Eli Riggs was also in double figures with 11. Riddle had 15 points in the first half and was 9-of-10 from the line.

HEBER SPRINGS BOXSCORES

December 16 at White County Central
White County Central  2 7 9 17 - 35
Heber Springs         7 4 9 16 - 36
WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL SCORING (35): Rodriguez 19, Gilliam 7, Loyd 5, Broderick 2, Knight 2 
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (36): Conner Riddle 18, Bauer Pruitt 6, Xander Lindley 4, Eli Riggs 4, Wyatt Winchester 2, Maddox Reed 2

December 12 at Marshall
Marshall       6 12 12 16 - 46
Heber Springs 10  9 14  5 - 38
MARSHALL SCORING (46): DePriest 21, Ragland 15, Griffin 7, Loggins 3
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (38): Conner Riddle 15, Bauer Pruitt 10, Eli Riggs 6, Xander Lindley 4, Hud Haggard 3

December 10 at Dover
Dover          3 11 12 7 - 33
Heber Springs 15 13  8 9 - 45
DOVER SCORING (33): Criag 9, Dale 8, Krentz 4, Canfield 4, Reichert 3, Shuffield 3, Jacobs 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (45): Conner Riddle 19, Luke Greenwald 9, Eli Riggs 8, Ladd Choate 3, Xander Lindley 2, Bent McClain 2, Bauer Pruitt 2

December 5 at Cedar Ridge
Junior Boys “B”
Victory at Cedar Ridge
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Xander Lindley 13, Ladd Choate 8, Easton Cusick 4, Luke Greenwald 3, Hud Haggard 3, Maddox Reed 2

November 26 at Clinton
Clinton       10 10 10 14 - 44
Heber Springs  7  3 11  6 - 27
CLINTON SCORING (44): Widener 20, Hensley 10, Emberton 9, Briggs 3, Burgess 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (27): Conner Riddle 9, Ladd Choate 5, Bauer Pruitt 4, Xander Lindley 3, Eli Riggs 2, Wyatt Winchester 2, Hud Haggard 1, Bent McClain 1

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Conway Blue    13 20 24 14 - 71
Heber Springs  10 18  5  6 - 39
CONWAY BLUE SCORING (71): R. Fields 24, D. Paglianite 13, D. Moton 8, C. Adams 8, T. Garlington 6, D. Tate 5, K. Jeffers 4, M. Pleasant 3
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (39): Conner Riddle 20, Bauer Pruitt 6, Luke Greenwald 6, Bent McClain 4, Eli Riggs 3

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Cabot South 8th-Grade 13  4 13 7 - 37
Heber Springs         11 10  4 8 - 33
CABOT SOUTH SCORING (37): T. Dyer 16, P. Hines 8, J. Christopher 4, R. Baxter 2, B. Beaver 2, B. Seagars 2, L. Flores 2, J. Fulton 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Conner Riddle 11, Xander Lindley 8, Bauer Pruitt 6, Bent McClain 4, Hud Haggard 2, Eli Riggs 2

Other Heber Springs Tournament Junior Boys Results on November 23: Batesville 46, Conway Blue 43; Batesville 40, Cabot South 8th-Grade 30 

November 21 at Heber Springs
Riverview     6 28 15 2 - 51
Heber Springs 6  2  5 8 - 21
RIVERVIEW SCORING (51): K. Jiles 21, Z. Williams 8, H. Sawtelle 5, A. Munoz 5, A. Donnell 4, T. Cunningham 2, S. Watson 2, M. Watson 2, T. Rogers 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (21): Xander Lindley 6, Ladd Choate 4, Eli Riggs 3, Luke Greenwald 2, Hud Haggard 2, Bauer Pruitt 2, Conner Riddle 2 

November 19 at Heber Springs
South Side Bee Branch 10  4 13 11 - 38
Heber Springs          9 16 11  8 - 44
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (38): Holland 11, Emmert 9, Sullivan 6, Bradford 4, Swafford 3, Jenson 2, Black 2, Hall 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (44): Conner Riddle 26, Eli Riggs 11, Luke Greenwald 4, Bent McClain 3 

November 19 at Heber Springs
Junior Boys “B”
South Side Bee Branch  3  2 -  5
Heber Springs         12 14 - 26
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (5): Murphee 2, C. Guynes 2, Grissom 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (26): Bauer Pruitt 9, Hud Haggard 7, Ladd Choate 6, Easton Cusick 2, Maddox Reed 2

November 18 at Heber Springs
Junior Boys “B” 
Greenbrier    12 5 10 9 - 36
Heber Springs  7 7 11 2 - 27
GREENBRIER SCORING (36): K. Brooks 12, C. Hartman 11, J. Smith 5, M. Miller 4, C. Zachary 4
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (27): Bauer Pruitt 12, Easton Cusick 7, Maddox Reed 4, Wyatt Winchester 2, Hud Haggard 2

November 14 at Marshall Tournament
Dover         7 9 13 14 - 43
Heber Springs 7 7 12 10 - 36
DOVER SCORING (43): Dale 13, Reichart 8, Vickers 8, Krenty 6, Criag 5, Shuffield 2, Meador 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (36): Eli Riggs 12, Conner Riddle 7, Luke Greenwald 6, Bent McClain 4, Bauer Pruitt 4, Xander Lindley 3
HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
COACH: Chad Johnson
OVERALL RECORD: 4-8
4A-4 RECORD: 1-0
November 9 - Greenbrier 37, Heber Springs 17 ^
November 12 - Nemo Vista 45, Heber Springs 37
November 13 - Heber Springs 54, Yellville-Summit 50 ^
November 14 - Dover 43, Heber Springs 36 ^
November 19 - Heber Springs 44, South Side Bee Branch 38
November 21 - Riverview 51, Heber Springs 21
November 23 - Cabot South 8th 37, Heber Springs 33 *
November 23 - Conway Blue 71, Heber Springs 39 *
November 26 - Clinton 44, Heber Springs 27
December 10 - Heber Springs 45, Dover 33 #
December 13 - Marshall 46, Heber Springs 38
December 16 - Heber Springs 36, White County Central 35
December 20 - Ozark #
January 7 - Pottsville #
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy #
January 14 - Dardanelle #
January 16 - Mount Vernon-Enola
January 23 - Marshall
January 24 - Dover #
January 27 - at Mayflower
January 28 - at Pottsville #
January 31 - at Ozark #
February 3 - Quitman
February 4 - at Dardanelle #
Februaryr 7 - Subiaco Academy #
February 10 - District Tournament at Ozark

(^ - Denotes Marshall Tournament)
(* - Denotes Heber Springs Tournament)
(# - Denotes 4A-4 Conference Game) 

Heber Springs junior girls host Ozark on Friday

The Heber Springs Junior Girls basketball team pose with the runner-up trophy from the Heber Springs Junior High Tournament on November 23 at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

December 19, 2019

The Heber Springs junior girls basketball team will look to even its 4A-4 conference record on Friday when they host Ozark at the Panther Den beginning at 4 p.m.

It will be the Panthers final game of the year before returning to action on Jan. 7 at home against Pottsville.

Heber Springs (7-4) dropped its conference opener on Dec. 10 at Dover, 43-33, as Sophia Stone finished with 15 points. The Panthers led 21-18 at the half, but were outscored 25-12 in the second half, including 12-3 in the final quarter.

Heber Springs started the season 2-0 before dropping a 60-49 decision to Dover on Nov. 14 at the semifinals of the Marshall junior high tournament. The Panthers also led at the half during that contest, 29-24. Stone had 20 points in a losing effort while Jaylea Hooten finished with 13.

The Panthers bounced back defeating the host, Marshall, in a consolation contest at the tournament, 40-25, on Nov. 16 as Hooten had 13 points in the win.

Heber Springs would down South Side Bee Branch, 44-22, on Nov. 19 and Riverview, 46-13, on Nov. 21 as Stone had 19 points in the win over South Side Bee Branch.

On Nov. 23, the Panthers hosted a one-day junior high tournament at the Panther Den. Heber Springs won its opener, 62-10, over the Cabot South 8th-Grade team as Addison Hudspeth finished with 17 points.

In the championship game, Heber Springs used a 6-0 run to close out the first half to take a 16-15 advantage into the half against Conway Blue, even pushing its lead to 22-16 after a Sophia Stone lay-up with 2:27 left in the third quarter. But Hooten picked up her fourth foul and had to set the remainder of the quarter as the Wampus Cats used their size to re-take the lead and win the title.

Heber Springs dropped a 48-40 contest to Clinton on Nov. 26 as Hooten had 15 points in the loss.

The Panthers won their last game on Dec. 12 with a 52-31 victory at South Side Bee Branch. Hooten had 24 points in the win, including 12 points in the third quarter, while Stone and Rylee Harrod each finished with 10.

HEBER SPRINGS BOXSCORES

JUNIOR GIRLS
December 12 at South Side Bee Branch
South Side Bee Branch   2  9  8 12 - 31
Heber Springs          10 12 16 14 - 52
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (31): Walley 21, Smith 3, Thurney 2, Linn 2, Smith 2, Duncan 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (52): Jaylea Hooten 24, Sophia Stone 10, Rylee Harrod 10, Riley Bailey 4, Madison Clemons 2, Molly Smith 2

December 10 at Dover
Dover          14  4 13 12 - 43
Heber Springs   7 14  9  3 - 33
DOVER SCORING (43): A. McCrotty 29, A Reams 12, S. McClendon 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Sophia Stone 15, Madison Clemons 9, Jaylea Hooten 3, Hope Turney 3, Rylee Harrod 3

November 26 at Clinton
Clinton       12 14  9 13 - 48
Heber Springs 11 10 12  7 - 40
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (40): Jaylea Hooten 15, Rylee Harrod 8, Sophia Stone 8, Madison Clemons 7, Hope Turney 2

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Conway Blue   10  5 11 9 - 35
Heber Springs  5 11  6 7 - 29
CONWAY BLUE (35): K. Brown 11, A. Corley 6, S. Ingraham 4, K. Beckwith 4, K. Harper 4, A. McMillen 3, B. Ferguson 2, J. Davis 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (29): Sophia Stone 13, Madison Clemons 4, Rylee Harrod 4, Riley Bailey 4, Jaylea Hooten 2, Hope Turney 2

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Cabot South 8th-Grade  0  2  8 0 - 10
Heber Springs         25 10 11 6 - 62
CABOT SOUTH SCORING (10): Cresswell 4, Stark 2, Dolling 2, Gourke 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (62): Addison Hudspeth 17, Sophia Stone 15, Lindsey Southerland 8, Molly Smith 6, Jaylea Hooten 6, Hailey Poore 4, Hope Turney 3, Rylee Harrod 2, Riley Bailey 1

Other November 23 Heber Springs Tournament Junior Girls Results: Conway Blue 52, Batesville 26; Batesville 43, Cabot South 8th-Grade 10.

November 21 at Heber Springs
Riverview      0 7  4 2 - 13
Heber Springs 19 9 12 6 - 46
RIVERVIEW SCORING (13): Hale 9, Munoz 2, Rayson 1, Rojas 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (46): Jaylea Hooten 10, Sophia Stone 8, Hope Turney 7, Lindsey Southerland 4, Marin McKenzie 4, Madison Clemons 2, Riley Bailey 2, Cristina Garcia 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Hailey Poore 2, Molly Smith 2, Rylee Harrod 1.

November 19 at Heber Springs
South Side Bee Branch 8 6 4 4 - 22
Heber Springs 16 2 12 14 - 44
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (22): E. Walley 11, A. Zimmerson 4, J. Walley 4, B. Smith 2, E. Thornley 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (44): Sophia Stone 19, Rylee Harrod 7, Jaylea Hooten 6, Hope Turney 6, Madison Clemons 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Molly Smith 2

November 16 at Marshall Tournament
Marshall       8 9  0  9 - 25
Heber Springs 10 6 11 13 - 40
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (40): Jaylea Hooten 13, Sophia Stone 9, Rylee Harrod 7, Madison Clemons 2, Hope Turney 2, Cristina Garcia 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Molley Smith 2, Marin McKenzie 1

November 14 at Marshall Tournament
Dover         13 11 18 18 - 60
Heber Springs 15 14 14  6 - 49
DOVER SCORING (60): McCrotty 20, Reams 13, Young 13, Hodge 8, McClendon 5, Perea 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (49): Sophia Stone 20, Jaylea Hooten 14, Rylee Harrod 6, Cristina Garcia 3, Madison Clemons 2, Hope Turney 2, Riley Bailey 2
HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
COACH: Jamey Riddle
OVERALL RECORD: 7-4
4A-4 RECORD: 0-1
November 9 - Heber Springs 27, Greenbrier 16 ^
November 12 - Heber Springs 33, Nemo Vista 27
November 14 - Dover 60, Heber Springs 49 ^
November 16 - Heber Springs 40, Marshall 25 ^
November 19 - Heber Springs 44, South Side Bee Branch 22
November 21 - Heber Springs 46, Riverview 13
November 23 - Heber Springs 62, Cabot South 8th 10 *
November 23 - Conway Blue 35, Heber Springs 29 *
November 26 - Clinton 48, Heber Springs 40
December 10 - Dover 43, Heber Springs 33 #
December 12 - Heber Springs 52, South Side Bee Branch 31
December 20 - Ozark #
January 7 - Pottsville #
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle #
January 16 - Mount Vernon-Enola
January 23 - Marshall
January 24 - Dover #
January 27 - at Mayflower
January 28 - at Pottsville #
January 31 - at Ozark #
February 3 - Quitman
February 4 - at Dardanelle #
February 10 - District Tournament at Ozark

(^ - Denotes Marshall Tournament)
(* - Denotes Heber Springs Tournament)
(# - Denotes 4A-4 Conference Game)

Panthers drop opener to Riverview

Heber Springs’ Dalton McCollum gets ready to shoot a free throw against Riverview during Thursday’s game at the Panther Den. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE McCARTY

November 21, 2019

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Only positives came from Heber Springs head coach Chad Johnson following Thursday’s 68-36 loss to Riverview in the basketball season opener at the Panther Den.

“They were only four days out of football, but practiced hard to prepare for the first game,” Johnson said. “The result was larger than the final score. We battled throughout the game. We are not in basketball shape yet and ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.”

Heber Springs trailed 16-10 after the first quarter. Riverview increased its lead to 26-15 with a 10-5 scoring run. The two teams battled almost even for the remainder of the second quarter as the Raiders led 38-25 at halftime.

The Panthers went cold in the third quarter as Riverview capitalized. The Raiders blew the game open with a 10-0 scoring run and led 51-32 going into the fourth quarter.

Adam Martin led the Panthers with 15 points, followed by Dalton McCollum with eight points. Cahill Overstreet and Myles Arnett scored 15 points for Riverview. Kahlil Blackmon and R.J. McCall each added 11 points.

“Riverview got its running game going and that led to the gap in the final score,” Johnson said. “I’m proud how the players performed. They battled and played with a lot of grit.”
Johnson expects improvement with completion of the football season with the players concentrating on basketball.

“I love coaching players who want to be here and help the program,” he said. “They want to make the program successful.”

Clinton’s football season ended Friday and all players are expected to be available for Tuesday’s game.

“We will be playing a tough opponent for the second straight game,” Johnson said. “The players and I look forward to the challenge.”

The game will wrap up a four-game night, with the junior high girls starting the action at 4:30 p.m., followed by the junior boys and the two high school games.

Riverview 16 22 13 17 -68
Heber Springs 10 15 7 4 -36
RIVERVIEW SCORING (68): Cahill Overstreet 15, Myles Arnett 15, Ashton Williams 11, Kahlil Blackmon 11, R.J. McCall 5, Montrell Chatmon 4, Isaac Jiles 4, Jackson Thomas 3.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (36): Adam Martin 15, Dalton McCollum 8, Wyatt Sanders 5, Garrett Hudspeth 4, Logan Monahan 2, Ryan Crocker 2.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 0-1
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - at Clinton
December 2 - at Conway St. Joseph Tournament
December 10 - at Dover ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy ^
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)


Panther PostGame

Heber Springs claws past Riverview, 49-35

Heber Springs junior Hunter Kent is brought down short of the end zone in the first half Friday against Riverview. Kent finished with a career-high seven receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the 49-35 victory by the Panthers. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

November 1, 2019

By PHILIP SEATON

Heber Springs kept its postseason hopes alive on Friday with a come-from-behind 49-35 victory over conference-leading Riverview in front of a sparse, but enthusiastic and vocal crowd, on a chilly night at Panther Stadium.

Adam Martin paced the Panthers through the air by going 11-of-15 with 209 yards and 3 touchdowns, with two those going to junior Hunter Kent who also caught a career-high seven passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Julio Rubio rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers scored the games final 28 points after trailing 35-21 early in the third quarter.

The win by the Panthers on “Senior Night” was the first home win of the season for Heber Springs and prevented Riverview from earning at least a share of its first conference title in football on the Panthers’ home field.

Things didn’t start well for Heber Springs (3-3 in the 4A-2 and 3-6 overall). A high snap on the Panthers first possession resulted in a 19-yard loss and later a punt from their own 5.

Riverview (5-1, 7-2) took advantage of the short field with a five-play, 38-yard drive that Raider quarterback Logan Miller capped with a 27-yard run to make it 7-0 after the successful PAT with 8:28 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers managed a first down on its next possession but were forced to punt after an incomplete pass on a third-and-2 play from the Heber Springs 43.

Taking over on their own 20 with 6:33 left in the first stanza, the Raiders marched down the field with a methodical running game that chewed up most the remaining first-quarter clock as Xander Duckett, who had a 33-yard run on the drive, raced into the end zone from the 9 to make it 14-0 Riverview with 49.7 seconds left in the first quarter.

Heber Springs responded on its next possession. After 25-yard kickoff return by Nathan McKee gave the Panthers the ball on their own 37, a personal foul was called against the Raiders after a Martin 5-yard run to push the ball into Riverview territory at the 43. After converting on a third-and-3 from the Raider 36, Martin scrambled for 19 yards before connecting with Kent on a 14-yard scoring strike with 10:58 to play in the half making it 14-7 after the Jackson Harrod PAT kick.

Riverview struck quickly on its next possession as Miller scored on a 51-yard run to make to 21-7 with 9:39 left in the second quarter.

Heber Springs took advantage of a pair of penalties on the ensuing kick-off attempt to get the ball in Raider territory at the 42. On the first play of the drive, Rubio broke free for a 22-yard run and then later a 12-yard run to move the ball to the 5, where Martin carried in to make it 21-14 with 8:55 to play in the half.

The Raiders only need 28 seconds to go back up by two scores. Aided by a 15-yard face-masking penalty by the Panthers, Ashton Williams completed a three-play, 45-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run.

Heber Springs drove to the Raider 45 on its next possession but failed to convert on a fourth-and-2 giving the ball back to Riverview with 3:34 to play in the half.

The Raiders had scored on their first four possession before the Panthers forced a three-and-out near midfield at the 1:52 mark of the second quarter.

Taking over on their own 17, the Panther drive appeared to fizzle at the 23 forcing a Martin punt. The Raiders muffed the punt and Kent pounced on the loose football at the Riverview 47. Back-to-back pass completions from Martin to Kent moved the ball to Raider 3. A pair of Panther penalties almost stalled the drive before Landon Johnson carried the ball to the 1 with 4.3 seconds left in the second quarter. Martin quickly ran up under center and took the snap sneaking in from the 1 as time expired to make it 28-21 at the half.

Riverview struck quickly in the second half using a 58-yard, six-play drive to go up 35-21 after Williams scored on a 19-yard run with 9:42 to play in the third quarter.

Heber Springs responded quickly as Martin found Kent for short completion on third-and-7 from the Raider 43. The junior did the rest racing past a pair of defenders for a 43-yard score with 8:05 left in the third.

The Panthers got another turnover to tie things up. After Williams had to leave the game after his helmet came off during a play, Duckett was shifted to quarterback and coughed up the football where Nicholas Hitchcock recovered the ball at the Riverview 36.

Three plays later, Martin ran the ball in from the 11 with 5:10 left in third quarter to tie things up at 35-all.

Riverview drove to the Panther 27 on 10 plays before facing a fourth-and-5 with 24.6 seconds left in the third quarter. After attempting to draw the Panthers offsides, Riverview inexplicably left the play clock expire. After some conferring by the officials, a delay of game penalty was called and the Heber Springs defense stopped the Raiders on the final play of the quarter.

The Panthers responded quickly as Martin went deep connecting with Johnson for a 74-yard scoring strike to give Heber Springs its first lead of the night at 42-35 with 11:48 to play.

Another delay of game penalty on a fourth-and-2, cost the Raiders as the Panthers got a stop at the Riverview 43 with 10:33 to play.

From there, Heber Springs used eight plays and 4:28 of clock to go up 49-35 as Rubio scored from the 8 with 6:05 to play.

The Panther defense got another turnover and grinded out the clock to earn the win.

Heber Springs will travel to Little Rock to face Mills Friday night. The Panthers will need to win to qualify for the 4A playoffs.

Hunter Kent races past a pair of defenders for a 43-yard touchdown. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME NOTES

WEEK 9 “BATTLE OF THE LITTLE RED”: This will be the last time Riverview and Heber Springs will face off on the gridiron for at least two years as the Raiders are dropping to class 3A next season. Clinton will be moving up from class 3A and replace Riverview as the Panthers opponent in week 9, which means the “Battle of the Little Red” will be played in week 9 instead of the opening game of the season.

SOMETHING ABOUT 33: Heber Springs junior Matthew Cook wears the number 33 on his jersey. In his first punt of the season in the first quarter against Riverview, his kick went 33 yards.

YOU’RE WELCOME: Outside Panther Stadium, the biggest cheer of the night probably emanated from Independence County. With the win by the Panthers, Southside Batesville can earn at least a share of the 4A-2 title with win over Bald Knob on Friday. Riverview had beat the Southerners 35-7 earlier this season and still owns the tiebreaker for the top seed from the conference.

CLOSE TO A THOUSAND: Julio Rubio needs 43 yards rushing on Friday against Little Rock Mills to top the 1,000-yard mark this season. The senior has carried the ball 164 times this season for 957 yards with 14 touchdowns.

THIS IS NOT 2003: It had been 16 years since Heber Springs had not won a game at Panther Stadium. The win by the Panthers ensured that would not happen in 2019.

HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX

HEBER SPRINGS’ ADAM MARTIN

HEBER SPRINGS’ LANDON JOHNSON

SENIOR NIGHT FESTIVITIES

SIDELINE CELEBRATION/FIELD-GOAL ATTEMPT

ALMA MATER

SCORING

Riverview (5-1, 7-2)                14  14   7   0  - 35    
Heber Springs (3-3, 3-6)             0  21  14  14  - 49    

FIRST QUARTER    
Riverview - Logan Miller 27-yard run (Emmanuel Rios kick), 8:28 
Riverivew - Xander Duckett 9-yard run (Rios kick), 49.7
SECOND QUARTER    
Heber Springs - Adam Martin to Hunter Kent 21-yard pass (Jackson Harrod kick), 10:58
Riverview - Miller 51-yard run (Rios kick), 9:39 
Heber Springs - Martin 5-yard run (Harrod kick), 8:55
Riverview - Ashton Williams 11-yard run (Rios kick), 8:27
Heber Springs - Martin 1-yard run (Harrod kick), :00
THIRD QUARTER    
Riverview - Miller 19-yard run (Rios kick), 9:42
Heber Springs - Martin to Kent 43-yard pass (Harrod kick), 8:05
Heber Springs - Martin 11-yard run (Harrod kick), 5:10
FOURTH QUARTER   
Heber Springs - Martin to Landon Johnson 74-yard pass (Harrod kick), 11:48
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 8-yard run (Harrod kick), 6:05

TEAM STATS

First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 9, Riverview 17
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 6, Riverview 1
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 1, Riverview 1
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 16, Riverview 19
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 5/11, Riverview 6/11
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 1/2, Riverview 1/3
Red-Zone Possessions: Heber Springs 5/6, Riverview 3/3
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 21:44, Riverview 26:16
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 3/0, Riverview 4/3
Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Riverview 3   
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 14, Riverview 0
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 5/45, Riverview 12/90
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 62/381/6.3, Riverivew 62/362/5.8
Rushing: Heber Springs 47/172/3.7, Riverview 52/320/6.2
Passing: Heber Springs 11/15-209-3/0, Riverview 7/10-42-0/0  
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, Riverview 0/0
Punts: Heber Springs 3/103/34.3, Riverview 1/32/32
Punts Inside 20: Heber Springs 0, Riverview 1

INDIVIDUAL STATS

OFFENSE 
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 20/107/5.4/1, Adam Martin 20/64/3.2/3, Landon Johnson 6/20, Team 1/(-19). Riverview, Logan Miller 25/201/8.0/3, Ashton Williams 13/58/4.5/1, Xander Duckett 6/55/9.2/1, Drake Ivy 6/18/3, Israel Gameros 1/5, Team 1/(-17).
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Riverview, Logan Miller (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Riverivew, Logan Miller (1)    
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Riverview, Logan Miller (2), Xander Duckett (1) 
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1) Riverview, Logan Miller (4), Xander Duckett (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (3), Adam Martin (2). Riverview, Logan Miller (6), Xander Duckett (1), Ashton Williams (1)
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 11/15-209-3/0. Riverview, Logan Miller 6/9-38-0/0, Xander Duckett 1/4-4-0/0
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 7/114/2, Landon Johnson 3/83/1, Nathan McKee 1/12. Riverview, Ashton Williams 4/34, Xander Duckett 2/4, Kamil Preciado 1/4.
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 273, Julio Rubio 107, Landon Johnson 20. Riverview, Logan Miller 239, Xander Duckett 59,  Ashton Williams 58, Drake Ivy 18, Israel Gameros 5.
PUNT RETURNS: None
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 4/54, Jackson West 1/14, Hunter Kent 1/4. Riverview, Israel Gameros 3/26, Ashton Williams 1/17, Cody Arrowood 1/11, Colton Cook 1/0.  
FUMBLE RETURNS: Matthew Cook 1/4 (offensive)  
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 118, Julio Rubio 107, Landon Johnson 102, Nathan McKee 66, Adam Martin 64, Jackson West 14, Matthew Cook 4. Riverview, Logan Miller 201, Ashton Williams 109, Xander Duckett 59, Israel Gameros 31, Drake Ivy 18, Cody Arrowood 11, Kamil Preciado 4.
FIELD GOALS: Heber Springs, Jackson Harrod 21 (no good)
DEFENSE 
TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 9/2/11, Diego Rubio 7/3/10, Landon Johnson 6/2/8, Fate Berry 6/0/6, Jackson West 5/1/6, Nicholas Hitchcock 5/1/6, Julio Rubio 3/2/5, Trevor Weathers 5/0/5, Kaden Hughes 3/0/3, Levy Phillips 3/0/3, Dalton McCollum 1/1/2, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1, Lawrence Baureis 1/0/1, Matthew Cook 1/0/1.  
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Fate Berry 3, Julio Rubio 3, Diego Rubio 3, Jackson West 2, Lawrence Baureis 1, Nicholas Hitchcok 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: None
INTERCEPTIONS: None
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Nicholas Hitchcock, Diego Rubio, Hunter Kent
PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin  2/70/35, Matthew Cook 1/33/33. Riverview,  Emmanuel Rios 1/32
PUNTS INSIDE 20: Emmanuel Rios (1)

4A-2 STANDINGS

                            W L CP  W L PS  PA   
Riverview                   5 1 49  7 2 323 252 
Southside Batesville        5 1 54  7 2 318 219
Little Rock Mills           3 3 14  4 5 188 236
Central Arkansas Christian  3 3 33  5 4 268 214       
Lonoke                      3 3 22  4 5 267 283
Heber Springs               3 3 28  3 6 246 286        
Bald Knob                   2 4  8  2 7 133 288                 
Stuttgart                   0 6  0  0 9 232 313   

Friday, November 1
Central Arkansas Christian 34, Bald Knob 6
Heber Springs 49, Riverview 35
Lonoke 35, Stuttgart 28
Southside Batesville 50, Little Rock Mills 23

Thursday, November 7
Lonoke at Riverview
Central Arkansas Christian at Stuttgart

Friday, November 8
Bald Knob at Southside Batesville
Heber Springs at Little Rock Mills

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

RIVERVIEW/SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE: Can clinch a share of its first conference title and the No. 1 seed with a win over Lonoke on Thursday. A loss and Southside Batesville win would give Southside Batesville the No. 1 seed and the outright conference title. Riverview owns the tiebreaker over Southside Batesville. Both teams have clinched a home playoff game.

HEBER SPRINGS/CAC/MILLS/LONOKE: The Panthers must beat Little Rock Mills on Friday to earn a playoff spot. If the Panthers lose next week, the season is over. Bald Knob and Stuttgart have been eliminated.

If Heber Springs wins, they will either be a 3, 4 or 5 seed. A Mills victory would give the Comets the No. 3 seed.

CAC would get the No. 3 seed with a win over Stuttgart and a Heber Springs win over Mills. Lonoke would earn the No. 3 seed with wins by Stuttgart and Heber Springs.

Heber Springs can claim the three seed with a win at Mills and a Riverview win over Lonoke, and a Stuttgart win over CAC.

If Heber Springs wins and Lonoke and/or CAC win, they will be the No. 4 or No. 5.

If Heber Springs, Lonoke and CAC all win, CAC would be the 3, Lonoke the 4 and Heber Springs the 5.

If Heber Springs wins and only Lonoke or CAC win (only one). Either Lonoke or CAC would be the No. 3, Heber Springs the No. 4 and Mills the No. 5

If the Panthers are the No. 3 they would host the Gentry/Gravette (possibly Prairie Grove based upon the conference points system) winner at Panther Stadium in a first-round playoff game. Former Heber Springs coach Darren Gowen is an assistant at Gravette.

If the Panthers are the No. 4 seed, would travel to Pea Ridge/Shiloh Christian (most likely Pea Ridge)

If the Panthers are the No. 5 seed, would travel to the Pea Ridge/Shiloh Christian winner in the first round (most likely Shiloh Christian).

SENIOR NIGHT PHOTO GALLERY

OTHER VIDEO CLIPS

Panther GameDay

Heber Springs hosts Riverview for Senior Night

  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium. Senior Night festivities start at 6:25 p.m.
  • Admission: $5
  • 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.

LAST WEEK

Rain dampens Panther Homecoming celebration

LAST SEASON

Panthers clinch No. 2 seed with win at Searcy

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.

HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES: Heber Springs leads 5-0

SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 6th all-time meeting between these two schools. Riverview was formed when the Kensett and Judsonia school districts consolidated. Both of the schools fielded football teams in the 1920s and 1930s. Heber Springs was 2-1 against Kensett and 4-1 against Judsonia.

RIVERVIEW: The Raiders are the midst of the best season in the program’s history. Riverview, which played its first season in 2008, has tied the program record with 7 wins and can claim a school-record eight wins tonight with a win and also clinch a share of a the program’s first conference title with a win and/or a loss by Southside Batesville. They defeated Brookland, 48-32, and Highland, 21-20, in nonconference play while falling to DeWitt, 46-35.

HOME WOES: Heber Springs is winless in five tries at home this season and is looking for avoid its first winless home campaign in 16 years since the 2003 season -that team went 0-10.

1000 YARDS: Senior Julio Rubio needs 150 yards rushing to top the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Rubio has rushed for 850 yards on 144 carries.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: DALTON MCCOLLUM

SEASON STATS

Heber Springs 54 55 26 62 - 197 (24.6)  
Opponent      32 69 83 67 - 251 (31.4)  

TEAM  
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 85, Opponent 85  
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 49, Opponent 50  
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 6, Opponent 9  
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 140, Opponent 143  
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 47/99 (47.4), Opponent 32/86 (37.2)  
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 11/27 (40.7), Opponent 12/22 (54.6)  
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 18/24 (75) (18 tds), Opponent 25/33 (75.8) (23 tds, 2 FG)  
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 13/8, Opponent 11/4  
Turnovers: Heber Springs 15, Opponent 7  
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 27, Opponent 28 
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 68/500, Opponent 58/519 
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 493/2900/5.9, Opponent 478/2684/5.6  
Rushing: Heber Springs 325/1742/5.4, Opponent 341/1556/4.6 
Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 217.8, Opponent 194.5  
Passing: Heber Springs 96/167-1157-7/7, Opponent 93/157-1166-16/3 
Completion Percentage: Heber Springs 57.5, Opponent 59.2
Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 144.6, Opponent 145.8 
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 19/107, Opponent 10/49  
Punts: Heber Springs 23/923/40.1, Opponent 25/861/34.4
Blocked Punts: Heber Springs 1 
 
INDIVIDUAL  
OFFENSE  
RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Julio Rubio 144/850/5.9/106.3/13, Adam Martin 131/634/4.8/79.3/4, Landon Johnson 44/207/4.7/29.6/5,  Levy Phillips 4/21, Nathan McKee 1/6, Diego Rubio 1/2, Tri Johnson 1/(-2), Team 1/(-22)  
RUNS OF 50+:  Julio Rubio 2, Adam, Martin 1 
RUNS OF 40+: Julio Rubio 3  Adam Martin 1
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 5, Adam Martin 2  
RUNS OF 20+:  Julio Rubio 8, Adam Martin 7, Landon Johnson 1 
RUNS OF 10+: Adam Martin 21, Julio Rubio 20, Landon Johnson 4, Levy Phillips 1 
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES:  Julio Rubio 4, Adam Martin 3   
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 96/167-1157-7/7    
250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1  
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Matthew Cook 19/188/9.9/1, Nathan McKee 17/200/11.8/2, Fate Berry 13/182/14/1, Landon Johnson 13/129/9.9/1, Tri Johnson 12/208/17.3/2, Julio Rubio 12/143/11.9, Hunter Kent 6/56/6.2, Jackson West 1/18, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8  
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1  
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 1791/223.9, Julio Rubio 850/106.3, Landon Johnson 207/29.5,  Levy Phillips 21, Nathan McKee 6, Diego Rubio 2, Tri Johnson (-2), Team (-22)  
KICKOFF RETURNS: Tri Johnson 8/170/21.3, Matthew Cook 4/62/15.5, Hunter Kent 4/42/13, Julio Rubio 3/44/14.7, Levy Phillips 4/37/9.3, Jackson West 3/25/8.3, Diego Rubio 2/37/18.5, Nathan McKee 1/11/11, Lawrence Baureis 1/10, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 6, Tristan  Thissen 1/0.  
PUNT RETURNS: Nathan McKee 3/12, Tri Johnson 1/(-3) 
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Nathan McKee 1/10, Dalton McCollum 1/4, Fate Berry 1/2  
FUMBLE RETURNS: None  
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 1037/129.6, Adam Martin 634/79.3, Tri Johnson 373/53.3, Landon Johnson 336/42, Nathan McKee 239/34.1, Matthew Cook 250/31.3, Fate Berry 184/23, Hunter Kent 98/12.3, Diego Rubio 47/5.9, Jackson West 43/5.4, Levy Phillips 58/7.3,  Lawrence Baureis 10/1.7, Harley Bresnahan 6/1, Dalton McCollum 13/1.6,   
DEFENSE  
TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 60/24/84, Landon Johnson 50/23/73, Kaden Hughes 24/13/37, Hunter Kent 27/11/38, Diego Rubio 33/10/43, Lawrence Baureis 20/9/29, Nathan McKee 17/9/26, Matthew Cook 24/5/29, Levy Phillips 19/11/30, Jackson West 17/3/20, Tri Johnson 9/5/14, Nicholas Hitchcock 16/5/21, Harley Bresnhan 6/4/10, Dalton McCollum 7/4/11, Julio Rubio 6/1/7, Preston Jones 2/2/5, Harley Hannah 3/2/5, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Devon Doxey 3/1/4, Tristan Thissen 1/2/3, Trevor Weathers 2/1/3, Trent Barnes 2/1/3, Jackson Harrod 1/1/2, Nate Dearmond 0/1/1, Spencer Evans 1/0/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.  
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Landon Johnson 14.5, Fate Berry 12, Kaden Hughes 9.5, Diego Rubio 4, Nicholas Hitchcock 3.5, Lawrence Baureis 2, Levy Phillips 2, Tri Johnson 1.5,  Hunter Griffin 1, Harley Bresnahan 1, Devon Doxey 1.  
SACKS/YARDS LOST:  Fate Berry 4/28, Kaden Hughes 4/24,  Tri Johnson 2.5/22, Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4,  Diego Rubio 1/5, Julio Rubio .5/9, Landon Johnson .5/3, Matthew Cook .5/3, Nicholas Hitchcock .5/4. 
INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1, Nathan McKee 1, Fate Berry 1  
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Nathan McKee 1, Landon Johnson 1, Hunter Kent 1, Diego Rubio 1  
BLOCKED PUNTS: Kaden Hughes 1
PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin  23/923/40.1/6
SCORING: Julio Rubio 78 (13 tds), Landon Johnson 30 (5 tds), Adam Martin 30 (5 td), Jackson Harrod 23 (23-26 PAT), Nathan McKee 12 (2 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Fate Berry 6 (1 td), Matthew Cook 6 (1 td) 

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: SPENCER EVANS

MARKEDTIME.COM PLAYERS OF WEEK

WEEK 8 vs SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE

OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Diego Rubio

WEEK 7 vs. BALD KNOB

OFFENSE – Landon Johnson. DEFENSE – Fate Berry

WEEK 6 vs. CAC

OFFENSE – Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Kaden Hughes

WEEK 5 vs. STUTTGART

OFFENSE – Adam Martin. DEFENSE – Nathan McKee

WEEK 4 vs. LONOKE

OFFENSE – Fate Berry. DEFENSE – Landon Johnson

WEEK 3 vs. HARDING ACADEMY

OFFENSE – Tri Johnson. DEFENSE – Dalton McCollum

WEEK 2 vs. GREENBRIER

OFFENSE – Harley Hannah. DEFENSE – Levy Phillips

WEEK 1 vs. CLINTON

OFFENSE – Adam Martin and Julio Rubio. DEFENSE – Fate Berry

JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL

Heber Springs finishes 2-6 with loss to Riverview

SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL

Heber Springs’ Harper Jones fights for extra yardage against Riverview on Tuesday at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Panthers finish 5-3 with victory over Riverview

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Panthers clinch No. 2 seed with mercy-rule win in Searcy

October 26, 2018

By PHILIP SEATON

SEARCY – Heber Springs scored 42 unanswered points and cruised to a 42-6 4A-2 win over Riverview Friday night at Raider Stadium.

The Panthers fourth-straight win clinched Heber Springs (5-4, 5-1 in the 4A-2) the No. 2 seed in the upcoming playoffs and a home game in the first-round, most likely against Pocahontas.

“I am just proud of the kids,” Heber Springs coach Darren Gowen said. “We got out of here healthy and with a win, and guaranteed ourselves of a No. 2 seed and first-round playoff game at home and possibly more.”

Senior Blaze Nelson rushed 21 times for 151 and three touchdowns while junior quarterback Adam Martin completed six of 14 passes for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Panthers.

“Blaze had another great night and Adam threw the ball very well,” Gowen said. “He finally let a couple of them go and we didn’t catch them like we should have, but he threw it well.”

Heber Springs’ defense had another good night limiting Riverview (2-7, 1-5) to 128 yards of total offense with only 28 of those coming the second half.

Coupled with the week 8 shutout of Southside Batesville, the six points allowed by the Panther defense are the fewest allowed in back-to-back weeks since 1990 when Heber Springs shutout Dardanelle in week three and beat Yellville-Summit, 7-6, in week four.

Despite the fast finish, it was a slow start for the Panthers.

A holding penalty on the Heber Springs’ first possession negated a 20-yard, first-down run by Nelson forcing a punt, while an illegal procedure penalty helped stall out the Panthers second possession late in the first quarter.

It would be the Raiders that would strike first on six-play, 63-yard drive capped off by a 36-yard touchdown reception by Cade Trickey from Griffin Miller with 11:51 to play in the half. A bad snap on the PAT attempt made the score 6-0 in favor of Riverview.

“We didn’t have a great week of practice and that leads to not playing well on Friday night,” Gowen said. “It’s tough when you win several games against teams that look better in terms of records and scores, and it’s hard for the kids to play at the same level they have been playing when they do that.

“It took us a while to get going, but we got there.”

It wouldn’t take Heber Springs long to “get going” after the Raiders’ took the lead, in fact only 51 seconds. Two plays after the Riverview touchdown, Martin would connect with Tri Johnson on a short screen pass and the junior would do the rest racing 50 yards to give the Panthers the lead at 7-6 after the Julian Cameron PAT kick.

Three plays later, the Panthers would get the ball back after Fate Berry sacked Miller for a 10-yard loss causing the senior to cough up the football. Senior Dalton Hall picked up the ball at the 20 and almost scored before being brought down at the 1. Nelson would punch it in on the next play to make it 14-6 with 9:57 to play in the half. Miller was injured on the sack and would not return for Riverview.

Heber Springs threatened again late in the half after Martin connected with Johnson on a 36-yard pass play to put the ball at the Raider 38. Four runs moved the ball to the Raider 19 with less than a minute to play, but three pass attempts came up short leaving the score 14-6 at the half.

“I thought the defense played,” Gowen said. “We almost had a scoop and score, their quarterback went out and that kind of hamstrung them a little bit in terms of what they could do but we also figured out what they were doing. 

“In the second half, we just came out and shut them down, and our offense was able to score.”

And score they did on all four second-half possessions.

The first one came with 7:03 to play in the third when Nelson scored on an 18-yard touchdown run to make it 21-6.

The next tally came with 1:34 to play in the quarter when Martin connected with senior Rocky Finney on a 39-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-6.

After the Panther defense forced a three-and-out, Heber Springs struck again this time on a 5-yard run by Nelson, his 22nd rushing touchdown of the season, to make it 35-6 with 9:26 to play in the contest.

Tanner Tillman recovered a Raider fumble on the Riverview 14 three plays later and Hall would follow with six straight runs. His 1-yard scoring run would invoke the Arkansas Activities Association 35-point Mercy Rule with 5:32 left to play.

Heber Springs will look to a secure a winning season Friday night at home against winless Little Rock Mills. Seniors will be honored before Friday night’s game.

BY THE NUMBERS

TEAM STATS

First Downs: Heber Springs 13, Riverview 8

Third-Downs: Heber Springs 3-9, Riverview 4-15

Fourth-Downs: Heber Springs 2-4, Riverview 1-2

Rushing Att.-Yards-Avg: Heber Springs 29-171-5.9, Riverview 45-70-1.6

Passing Comp.-Att-Yards-Int: Heber Springs 6-14 151 0, Riverview 6-7 55 0

Total Offense: Heber Springs 314, Riverview 125

Sacks-Yards: Heber Springs 1-10, Riverview 1-8

Penalties-Yards: Heber Springs 4-30, Riverview 4-25

Fumbles-Lost: Heber Springs 1-0, Riverview 4-2

Punts-Avg.: Heber Springs 1-40, Riverview 4-36

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Rushing: Heber Springs, Blaze Nelson 21-151-3, Dalton Hall 6-19-1, Adam Martin 2-1, Riverview, Baylee Dillin 13-27, Griffin Miller 10-20, Landon Chandler 10-5, Santos Gutierrez 7-1, Xavier Duckett 3-20, Team 2-(-3). 

Passing: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 6-14 151 2-0. Riverview, Griffin Miller 4-4 54 1-0, Landon Chandler 2-2 1 0-0, Cade Trickey 0-1 0 0-0.

Receiving: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 3-92-1, Rocky Finney 2-50-1, Matthew Cook 1-9. Riverview, Cade Trickey 3-40-1, Baylee Dillin 2-12, Carlos Munoz 1-3.

Heber Springs closes season with loss to Riverview

Heber Springs’ Xander Lindley looks to throw a pass against Riverview on Tuesday at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

October 29, 2019

Koby Teeter rushed six times for 186 yards and a touchdown in leading Riverview to a 38-8 victory over Heber Springs Tuesday night at Panther Stadium.

Teeter scored his touchdown on a 91-yard jaunt in the first quarter. Raider quarterback Harley Sawtelle was 8-of-10 passing for 136 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Riverview lead 16-0 at the end of the first quarter and 24-0 at the half.

Heber Springs trailed 32-0 at the end of three quarters before finally getting on the board in the final stanza when Xander Lindley raced 60 yards for a Panther score. Conner Riddle completed a pass to Lindley for the 2-point conversion with 7:31 to play.

Lindley paced Heber Springs on the ground with 78 yards on four attempts. Ryan Bommarito ran the ball 12 times for 45 yards.

The Panthers finished their season with a 2-6 mark.

HEBER SPRINGS COACH CHASE ROBERTS ON GAME, SEASON

HEBER SPRINGS RUN OUT