Tag: Will Cox

Panther PostGame

Heber Springs claims first win, 28-27, over Stuttgart

Heber Springs senior tackle Harley Hannah battles with Stuttgart’s Collier Bush during 4A-2 conference Friday night at Stuttgart. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

October 4, 2019

STUTTGART – Heber Springs used a fourth-quarter touchdown and a late interception to claim its first win of the season with a 28-27 victory over Stuttgart Friday night.

The win over Stuttgart broke a five-game losing streak — the Panthers longest streak since the 2013, but more importantly kept Heber Springs (1-1, 1-4) in the 4A-2 conference race.

Heber Springs won despite committing 13 penalties for a 103 yards and having the ball for only 18 minutes, but won the turnover battle for the first time all season as Nathan McKee intercepted Stuttgart quarterback Pate Kleinbeck with 1:51 at the Ricebird 43 to seal the win.

It was McKee that also played in a part in the Panthers first score as Adam Martin connected with the junior for a 39-yard scoring strike with 4:44 to play in the opening quarter. Jackson Harrod added the PAT kick.

Heber Springs’ Nathan McKee goes down after intercepting Stuttgart quarterback Pate Kleinback to seal a Panther win. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

On the Ricebirds’ ensuing possession, Heber Springs got the first turnover of the game as Fate Berry picked off Kleinbeck near midfield. But on the next play, Martin was intercepted giving Stuttgart the ball at the Panther 48.

The Ricebirds used an 11-play drive to tie things up at 7-all with 10:50 to play before the half as Kleinbeck sneaked in from the 1. Stuttgart was aided on the drive by a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Heber Springs, but the big play came on fourth-and-8 from the Panther 34 when Kleinbeck connected with Rhett Bohanan for a 19-yard completion.

It didn’t take long for the Panthers to answer as Tri Johnson took the ensuing kickoff and raced 62 yards to put the ball on the Stuttgart 12. Three plays later Julio Rubio, who led the Panthers on the ground with 81 yards on 15 carries, raced into the end zone from the 7 with 9:28 to play in the half.

Stuttgart appeared to answer the score three plays later but Arlie Lee, who had 12 receptions for 125 yards, fumbled as he was getting ready to cross the goal line and Landon Johnson pounced on the football to end the threat.

Taking over the 20, Heber Springs went backwards thanks in part to three penalties and a one-yard loss on a first-down rush by Martin, forcing a punt from the Panther 14.

After a short punt, Kleinbeck raced 31 yards to the Panther 6. But the penalty bug bit the Ricebirds as a pair of infractions pushed the ball back to the 20 before Kleinbeck found Lee on third down for the tying touchdown with 4:28 left in the second quarter.

The two teams traded possessions before Heber Springs got the ball back with 1:10 left in the half at the Panther 41. Martin found McKee for 22 yards, Cook for 11 yards before reeling off an 18-yard run. After a one-yard loss on a pass, Martin scrambled 17 yards to put Heber Springs up 21-14 at the half after the Harrod kick.

(Videos by Billy Smallwood)

Heber Springs took the ball to start the second half but couldn’t muster anything offensively giving the ball back to Stuttgart.

The Ricebirds then consumed almost five minutes of the third-quarter clock with a 13-play, 71-yard drive as Kleinback connected with Blake Book for a 13-yard scoring strike. The big play of the drive came on a third-and-15 from the Stuttgart when the Panthers were called for pass interference to extend the possession.

After a three-and-out by Heber Springs, Stuttgart took over on the Panther 46. Eight plays later, Jaeshawn Williams plunged in from the 1 to give the Ricebirds their first lead of the night with 1:01. On the PAT attempt, Heber Springs was flagged for being offsides but instead of letting the kick continue, which sailed through the uprights, the officials whistled the ball dead. The ensuing kick was short leaving Stuttgart up 27-21.

The two teams traded possessions before the Panthers took possession of the ball on their own 11 with 9:38 to play. A 44-yard pass completion from Martin to Cook put the ball in Ricebird territory at the 43. Two plays later, Martin scrambled and found Landon Johnson, who made the catch at the Stuttgart 5 getting one foot down. Two plays later, Julio Rubio scored from the 1 and Harrod converted the PAT kick to give the Panthers a 28-27 with 7:24 to play.

After the Panther defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Stuttgart possession, aided by a Kaden Hughes sack for a loss of 10 yards, Heber Springs appeared to be marching downfield to put the game out of reach after Landon Johnson carried the ball 20 and 8 yards to the Ricebird 7, but the drive fizzled on fourth down with 2:10 left setting up Stuttgart’s final attempt to win the game.

Heber Springs’ Landon Johnson is brought down after a 20-yard, fourth-quarter run.

Martin finished the night 9-of-13 passing for 162 yards while rushing for 76 yards.

Heber Springs returns to action Friday night when they host Central Arkansas Christian at 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium. CAC dropped a 38-35 decision to Little Rock Mills last Friday after leading that contest in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTES

HOMECOMING: It was Stuttgart’s homecoming contest on Friday with the Ricebird queen and her court honored before the game. Heber Springs will have its homecoming on October 25 when they host Southside Batesville.

SOMETHING ABOUT 28: The win at Stuttgart was the only the second time Heber Springs has won on the Ricebirds home field. Heber Springs’ first win in the series at Stuttgart came in 2011 by a score of 28-21.

CONFERENCE THIRD-DOWN WOES: Since Heber Springs has entered conference play, the Panthers have only converted four out of 25 third-down attempts, including one of nine against Stuttgart.

SHORT PUNTS: Adam Martin is averaging close to 40 yards a punt this season, but both times one his punts has went for fewer than 30 yards the opposing team has scored on ensuing drive including Friday night.

SAME AS LAST YEAR: Heber Springs started the 2018 season with an identical 1-4 record but went on to win six-in-a-row before losing in a second-round playoff contest.

SCORING

Heber Springs (1-1, 1-4)    7  14   0   7  - 28  
Stuttgart (0-2, 0-5)        0  14   13  0  - 27  
FIRST QUARTER  
Heber Springs - Adam Martin to Nathan McKee 39-yard pass (Jackson Harrod kick), 4:44  
SECOND QUARTER  
Stuttgart - Pate Kleinbeck 1-yard run (Paulo Palomino kick), 10:50 
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 7-yard run (Harrod kick), 9:28
Stuttgart - Kleinbeck to Arlie Lee 20-yard pass (Palomino kick), 4:28
Heber Springs - Martin 17-yard run (Harrod kick), :30  
THIRD QUARTER  
Stuttgart - Kleinbeck to Blake Book 13-yard pass (Palomino kick), 5:55  
Stuttgart - Jaeshawn Williams 1-yard run (Kick failed), 1:01  
FOURTH QUARTER 
Heber Springs - Rubio 1-yard run (Harrod kick), 7:24

POSTGAME VIDEOS

HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX

ADAM MARTIN

NATHAN MCKEE

TEAM STATS

First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 5, Stuttgart 8 
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 6, Stuttgart 7 
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Stuttgart 2 
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 11, Stuttgart 17 
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 1/9, Stuttgart 6/15 
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 0/2, Stuttgart 2/3 
Red-Zone Possessions: Heber Springs 2/4, Stuttgart 4/5   
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 18:04, Stuttgart 29:56 
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 0/0, Stuttgart 3/1  
Turnovers: Heber Springs 2, Stuttgart 3  
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Stuttgart 7   
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 13/103, Stuttgart 5/50  
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 50/339/6.8, Stuttgart 79/323/4.1 
Rushing: Heber Springs 37/177/4.8, Stuttgart 39/128/3.3 
Passing: Heber Springs 9/13-162-1/2, Stuttgart 22/40-195-2/2  
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 2/15, Stuttgart 0/0 
Punts: Heber Springs 3/90/30, Stuttgart 4/128/32  
Punts Inside 20: Heber Springs 1, Stuttgart 1
Heber Springs’ Adam Martin

INDIVIDUAL STATS

OFFENSE RUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 16/76/4.8, Julio Rubio 15/81/5.4, Team 3/(-6)/(-2), Landon Johnson 2/28/14, Tri Johnson 1/(-2)/(-2). Stuttgart, Jaeshawn Williams 19/84/4.4, Pate Kleinbeck 10/(-6)/(-.6), Jaxson Robinson 6/28/4.7, Mitchell Stovesand 3/19/6.3, Arlie Lee 1/3/3.   
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Stuttgart, Pate Kleinbeck (1). 
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1), Landon Johnson (1). Stuttgart, Pate Kleinback (1), Jaeshawn Williams (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (3), Julio Rubio (2), Landon Johnson (1). Stuttgart, Jaeshawn Willimas (2), Pate Kleinbeck (1), Jaxson Robinson (1), Mitchell Stovesand (1). 
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 9/13-162-1/2. Stuttgart, Pate Kleinbeck 21/39-180-2/2, Blake Book 1/1-15-0/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 3/58/19.3, Matthew Cook 2/55/27.5, Fate Berry 2/15/7.5, Landon Johnson 1/35/35, Julio Rubio 1/(-1)/(-1). Stuttgart, Arlie Lee 12/125/10.4, Mitchell Stovesand 4/24/6, Rhett Bohanan 3/41/13.7, Blake Book 1/9/9, Jaeshawn Williams 1/(-2)/(-2), Tymir Coppins 1/(-2)/(-2).  
RECEPTIONS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook (1). 
RECEPTIONS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook (1), Landon Johnson (1), Nathan McKee
RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook (1), Landon Johnson (1), Nathan McKee (1). Stuttgart, Arlie Lee (1).
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 238, Julio Rubio 81, Landon Johnson 28, Tri Johnson (-2), Team (-6). Stuttgart, Pate Kleinbeck 174, Jaeshawn Willaims 84, Jaxson Robinson 28, Mitchell Stovesand 19, Blake Book 15, Arlie Lee 3.
PUNT RETURNS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/11.
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 2/72/36, Lawrence Baureis 1/10/10, Jackson West 1/10/10. Stuttgart, Merritt Coker 2/19/9.5, Arlie Lee 1/14/14, Mitchell Stovesand 1/9/9, Devon Stigger 1/9.
FUMBLE RETURNS: None  
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/10, Fate Berry 1/2. Stuttgart, Merritt Coker 1/8, Rhett Bohanan 1/7.
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 80, Nathan McKee 79, Adam Martin 76, Tri Johnson 70, Landon Johnson 63, Matthew Cook 55, Fate Berry 17, Lawrence Baureis 10, Jackson West 10, Team (-6). Stuttgart, Arlie Lee 142, Jaeshawn Williams 84, Mitchell Stovesand 52, Rhett Bohanan 48, Jaxson Robinson 28, Merritt Coker 27, Devin Stigger 9, Blake Book 9, Tymir Coppins (-2), Pate Kleinback (-6).   
DEFENSE TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs,Landon Johnson 11/3/14, Diego Rubio 11/1/12, Fate Berry 7/4/11, Nathan McKee 5/3/8, Kaden Hughes 3/1/4, Hunter Kent 4/0/4, Lawrence Bauries 3/1/4, Matthew Cook 3/1/4, Dalton McCollum 2/0/2, Jackson West 2/0/2, Nicholas Hitchcock 2/0/2, Tristan Thissen 1/1/2, Julio Rubio 1/0/1, Preston Jones 0/1/1, Spencer Evans 1/0/1, Harley Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 3, Diego Rubio 2, Kaden Hughes 2, Lawrence Baureis 2, Fate Berry 1, Nicholas Hitchcock 1, Spencer Evans 1, Harley Hannah 1. 
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Kaden Hughes 1/10, Diego Rubio 1/5, Fate Bery .5/-3, Landon Johnson .5/-3, Matthew Cook .5/-3. 
INTERCEPTIONS: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee, Fate Berry. Stuttgart, Merritt Coker, Rhett Bohanan.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Landon Johnson.
PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 3/90/30. Stuttgart, Rhett Bohanan 4/128/32  
PUNTS INSIDE 20: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1). Stuttgart, Rhett Bohanan (1).
Heber Springs’ Fate Berry

4A-2 STANDINGS/RESULTS

                             W L CP  W L PS  PA 
Riverview                   2 0 23  4 1 168 124 
Lonoke                      2 0 15  3 2 176 171  
Southside Batesville        1 1 13  3 2 151 136   
Bald Knob                   1 1  7  1 4  78 151  
Little Rock Mills           1 1  3  2 3 104 126  
Heber Springs               1 1  1  1 4 137 172
Central Arkansas Christian  0 2  0  2 3 163 160  
Stuttgart                   0 2  0  0 5 125 189 

Friday, October 4 
Heber Springs 28, Stuttgart 27
Lonoke 38, Bald Knob 36
Riverview 35, Southside Batesville 7 
Little Rock Mills 38, Central Arkansas Christian 35 
Friday, October 11 
Central Arkansas Christian at Heber Springs 
Stuttgart at Bald Knob
Lonoke at Southside Batesville 
Little Rock Mills at Riverview
Heber Springs’ Julio Rubio

VICTORY CLIPS

Heber Springs’ Adam Martin gets flipped by a trio of Ricebird defenders.

VIDEO CLIPS

Panther GameDay

Heber Springs travels to Stuttgart seeking first win

The Captains, from left, Adam Martin, Landon Johnson, Fate Berry and Harley Hannah. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Stuttgart
  • 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.  You can listen live here.

LAST SEASON

Panther Rally Comes Up Short

LAST WEEK

Heber Springs’ Landon Johnson fights for extra yards against Lonoke.

Panthers Fall to Lonoke

4A-2 CONFERENCE STANDINGS

                            W L CP  W L PS  PA
Lonoke                      1 0 13  2 2 138 135 
Southside Batesville        1 0 13  3 1 144 101
Riverview                   1 0 10  3 1 133 117 
Bald Knob                   1 0  7  1 3  42 113
Central Arkansas Christian  0 1  0  2 2 128 122
Little Rock Mills           0 1  0  1 3  66  91 
Heber Springs               0 1  0  0 4 109 145
Stuttgart                   0 1  0  0 4  98 161


Friday, September 27
Lonoke 32, Heber Springs 12
Bald Kno 14, Little Rock Mills 7
Southside Batesville 43, Stuttgart 21
Riverview 29, Central Arkansas Christian 19

Friday, October 4
Heber Springs at Stuttgart
Southside Batesville at Riverview
Bald Knob at Lonoke
Central Arkansas Christian at Little Rock Mills

HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES: Stuttgart leads the all-times series, 10-3. The two teams first meet in 2006 when the Ricebirds dropped from class 5A down to 4A and were placed in the same conference with Heber Springs. Stuttgart won the first four meetings before the Panthers claimed a 20-14 win in 2010.

LAST TIME IN STUTTGART: The last time these two teams meet in Arkansas County, Stuttgart claimed a 20-7 victory on September 29, 2017. Heber Springs is 1-5 in games played in Stuttgart. The Panthers lone win came in 2011 with a 28-21 victory. The 28 points in that contest was the most points the Panthers have scored on the Ricebirds home turf.

WINLESS: This will be the first time Stuttgart and Heber Springs have played where both teams were winless.

0-4: The last time Heber Springs started the season with four consecutive losses was in 2013, Steve Janski’s final season as head coach. The Panthers finished that season with a record of 2-8, before that you would have to go back to the 2003 season when the Panthers started on 0-4 on their way to a winless campaign.

PLAYOFF SEEDINGS: The top two seeds out of the conference are paired with the 4A-8 conference (Crossett, DeWitt, Dumas, Hamburg, Helena-West Helena Central, Monticello, Star City and Warren) while the conference’s lower three seeds are paired with the 4A-1 conference (Shiloh Christian, Berryville, Gravette, Gentry, Green Forest, Lincoln, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove). The No. 1 seed out of the 4A-2 hosts the No. 5 seed out of the 4A-8. The No. 2 seed hosts the No. 4 seed out of the 4A-8. The No. 3 seed hosts the No. 3 out of the 4A-1. The No. 4 seed travels to the No. 2 seed out of the 4A-1, while the No. 5 seed travels to No. 1 seed out of the 4A-1.

100-YARD STREAK: In the loss to Lonoke last week, it was the first time since a week 2 loss to Greenbrier in 2018 (a span of 13 games) that the Panthers failed to have a back rush for 100 yards or more. That was also the last time the Panthers were held to fewer than 20 points in a game.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: HARLEY HANNAH

SEASON STATS

Heber Springs 28 20 13 48 - 109 (27.3)
Opponent      25 35 42 43 - 145 (36.3)

TEAM
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 54, Opponent 35
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 22, Opponent 35
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 2, Opponent 4
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 78, Opponent 75
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 31/57 (54.4), Opponent 12/35 (34.3)
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 10/18 (55.6), Opponent 3 /6 (50)
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 9/10 (9 tds), Opponent 14/16 (13 tds, 1FG)
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 8/6, Opponent 5/1
Turnovers: Heber Springs 10, Opponent 2
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 13, Opponent 21
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 28/187, Opponent 26/211
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 268/1632/6.1, Opponent 209/1390/6.7
Rushing: Heber Springs 189/1042/5.5, Opponent 136/609/4.8
Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 260.5, Opponent 152.3
Passing: Heber Springs 41/78-589-4/3, Opponent 53/85-761-10/1
Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 147.3, Opponent 190.3
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 10/68, Opponent 7/33
Punts: Heber Springs 9/369/41, Opponent 13/446/34.3

INDIVIDUAL
OFFENSE
RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Adam Martin 85/465/5.5/116.3/2, Julio Rubio 82/397/4.8/99.3/7, Landon Johnson 26/122/4.7/30.5/3, Nathan McKee 1/6/6/1.5/0.
BIG CAT RUNS (50+): Adam, Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1
RUNS OF 40+: Adam Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam Martin 2
RUNS OF 20+: Adam Martin 6, Julio Rubio 3
RUNS OF 10+: Adam Martin 14, Julio Rubio 10, Landon Johnson 3
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Adam Martin 3, Julio Rubio 2
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 41/78-589-4/3
250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Julio Rubio 9/122/13.6, Matthew Cook 8/86/10.8, Nathan McKee 7/75/10.7/1, Fate Berry 6/100/16.7/1, Hunter Kent 4/32/8, Tri Johnson 4/150/37.5/2, Landon Johnson 3/14/4.7
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 1054/263.5, Julio Rubio 397/99.3, Landon Johnson 122/30.5, Nathan McKee 6/1.5
KICKOFF RETURNS: Matthew Cook 4/62/15.5, Tri Johnson 4/53/13.3, Hunter Kent 3/46/15.3, Julio Rubio 3/44/14.7, Levy Phillips 2/14/7, Nathan McKee 1/11/11, Diego Rubio 1/13/13, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 6, Jackson West 1/1, Tristan  Thissen 1/0.
PUNT RETURNS: Nathan McKee 1/ 3, Tri Johnson 1/(-3)
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Dalton McCollum 1/4
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 563/140.8, Adam Martin 465/116.3, Tri Johnson 200/66.7, Matthew Cook 148/37, Landon Johnson 136/34, Fate Berry 100/25, Nathan McKee 95/23.8, Hunter Kent 78/26, Levy Phillips 14/4.5, Diego Rubio 13/3.3, Harley Bresnahan 6/1.5, Dalton McCollum 4/1, Jackson West 1/.3

DEFENSE
TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 32/11/43, Landon Johnson 12/9/21, Lawrence Baureis 9/8/17, Levy Phillips 10/7/17, Hunter Kent 8/8/16, Kaden Hughes 10/5/15, Matthew Cook 12/3/15, Tri Johnson 6/5/11, Harley Bresnhan 6/3/9, Dalton McCollum 4/4/8,  Julio Rubio 5/1/6, Jackson West 4/2/6,Nathan McKee 3/2/5,  Diego Rubio 1/3/4, Trent Barnes 1/1/2, Preston Jones 1/1/2, Devon Doxey 2/0/2, Nathan Hitchcock 2/0/2, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1, Tristan Thissen 0/1/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Fate Berry 8, Landon Johnson 7.5, Kaden Hughes 2.5, Levy Phillips 2, Tri Johnson 1, Harley Bresnahan 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Kaden Hughes 1/ 4, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Tri Johnson 2/ 18, Fate Berry 2.5/18, Julio Rubio .5/9
INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Nathan McKee 1
PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 9/369/41/1
SCORING: Julio Rubio 54 (9 tds), Landon Johnson 18 (3 tds), Jackson Harrod 13 (13-14 PAT), Adam Martin 12 (2 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Fate Berry 6 (1 td), Nathan McKee 6 (1 td)

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: LEVY PHILLIPS

MARKEDTIME.COM PLAYERS OF WEEK

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

The Heber Springs Panther junior high team fell to 0-4 on the season with a 28-0 setback to Stuttgart Thursday night at Panther Stadium. Heber Springs travels to Central Arkansas Christian on Thursday.

SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL

The Heber Springs seventh-grade team suffered its first loss of the season Thursday night with a 20-6 loss to Stuttgart. Heber Springs sets at 3-1 on the year.

PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK

  • Monday, October 7 – 4A State Boys Golf Tournament at Red Apple
  • Tuesday, October 8 – Cross Country at Bald Knob
  • Tuesday, October 8 – 4A State Boys Golf Tournament at Red Apple
  • Tuesday, October 8 – Volleyball vs. Clarksville, 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 10 – Volleyball at Joe T. Robinson, 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 10 – 7th-Grade Football at CAC, 5:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 10 – Junior Football at CAC, 7 p.m.

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Panther GameDay

Heber Springs opens 4A-2 Conference play against Lonoke

  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium
  • 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.  You can listen live here.

LAST SEASON

Lonoke, elements can’t stop Panthers in 4A-2 opener

LAST WEEK

Heber Springs quarterback Adam Martin looks to avoid a Harding Academy tackler last week at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Panthers fall in heartbreaker to Harding Academy

FOR LONOKE: First-year Lonoke coach Harry Wright got his first win last week as the Jackrabbits (1-2) rallied to down Newport, 49-40. The Jackrabbits trailed Newport, 34-21, in the third quarter before rallying to claim the win. Lonoke quarterback Spencer Pepper was 11 of 20 passing for 326 yards and four touchdowns, including a 91-yarder to Anthony Parks. Parks also rushed for 73 yards on 12 attempts while Pepper gained 48 yards on 17 carries.

CONFERENCE SCOREBOARD WEEK 3

  • Harding Academy 50, Heber Springs 49
  • Maumelle 47, Little Rock Mills 8
  • Haskell Harmony Grove 23, Bald Knob 0
  • Lonoke 49, Newport 40
  • Clinton 55, Central Arkansas Christian 21

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE WEEK 4

  • Lonoke (1-2) at Heber Springs (0-3)
  • Stuttgart (0-3) at Southside Batesville (2-1)
  • Little Rock Mills (1-2) at Bald Knob (0-3)
  • Riverview (2-1) at Central Arkansas Christian (2-1)

HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX

GAME NOTES

The Series: Lonoke leads the all-time series, 13-10

The two teams first meet in 1931, a 25-0 victory by the Jackrabbits in Lonoke. The schools would play eight times between 1931 and 1942 with the Panthers lone victory coming in 1933, 19-0. The two teams wouldn’t meet again for almost 50 years when the two schools were both part of the 5AA-North conference for the 1991-92 cycle with the Jackrabbits winning both of those conference contests. Fourteen years later in 2006, Heber Springs and Lonoke would again be placed in the same conference (the 4A-2). Since 2006, the Panthers have won nine out of 13 contests, including five straight in the series.

SONIC BLAST: Randy Rainwater from KABZ 103.7 FM in Little Rock will be in Heber Springs broadcasting his statewide radio call-in show, “Drive-Time Sports” from 3 to 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium.

NONCONFERENCE WOES/CONFERENCE JOYS: Heber Springs has gone 1-11 in nonconference play the past four seasons, but are 22-6 in the 4A-2 over the same stretch, including a share of two conference titles and a second-place finish last season.

FIREWORKS: First Arkansas Bank and Trust has been sponsoring the Panther Stadium fireworks that are fired off after each Panther touchdown.

SAME RECORD/DIFFERENT YEAR: Last season, Heber Springs and Lonoke both entered conference play as the same records they sport this season, 0-3 for the Panthers and 1-2 for the Jackrabbits.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: FATE BERRY

SEASON STATS AFTER WEEK 3

Heber Springs 28 14  7 48 -  97 (32.3)
Opponent      14 28 35 36 - 113 (37.7)

TEAM
First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 46, Opponent 28
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 18, Opponent 28
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 1, Opponent 4
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 65, Opponent 61
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 28/41 (68.3), Opponent 9/22 (40.9)
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 7/10 (70), Opponent 1 /2 (50)
Red-Zone Conversions: Heber Springs 8/8 (8 tds), Opponent 11/12 (11 tds)
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 5/4, Opponent 4/0
Turnovers: Heber Springs 7, Opponent 1
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 7, Opponent 21
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 19/146, Opponent 15/116
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 202/1340/6.6, Opponent 146/1035/7.1
Rushing: Heber Springs 153/872/5.7, Opponent 90/421/4.7
Rushing Per Game: Heber Springs 290.7, Opponent 140.3
Passing: Heber Springs 30/49-467-3/2, Opponent 43/68-594-8/1
Passing Per Game: Heber Springs 155.7, Opponent 198
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 7/51, Opponent 6/24
Punts: Heber Springs 5/210/42, Opponent 9/301/33.4

INDIVIDUAL
OFFENSE
RUSHING (ATT/YARDS/PER ATTEMPT/PER GAME/TDS): Adam Martin 70/397/5.7/132.3/2, Julio Rubio 67/341/5.1/113.7/7, Landon Johnson 20/76/3.8/25.3/2, Nathan McKee 1/6/6/2/0.
BIG CAT RUNS (50+): Adam, Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1
RUNS OF 40+: Adam Martin 1, Julio Rubio 1
RUNS OF 30+: Julio Rubio 2, Adam Martin 1
RUNS OF 20+: Adam Martin 4, Julio Rubio 3
RUNS OF 10+: Adam Martin 12, Julio Rubio 9, Landon Johnson 1.
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Adam Martin 3, Julio Rubio 2
PASSING (ATT/COMP-YARDS-TDS/INT): Adam Martin 30/49-467-3/2
250-YARD PASSING GAMES: Adam Martin 1
RECEIVING (REC/YARDS/PER CATCH/TDS): Julio Rubio 8/121/15.1, Matthew Cook 8/86/10.8, Hunter Kent 4/32/8, Nathan McKee 3/39/13/1, Fate Berry 3/30/10, Tri Johnson 3/141/47/2,  Landon Johnson 1/8/8
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES: Tri Johnson 1, Julio Rubio 1
TOTAL OFFENSE (OFFENSE/PER GAME): Adam Martin 864/288, Julio Rubio 341/113.7, Landon Johnson 76/25.3, Nathan McKee 6/2
KICKOFF RETURNS: Hunter Kent 3/46/15.3, Matthew Cook 3/52/17.3, Tri Johnson 3/37/12.3, Levy Phillips 2/14/7, Julio Rubio 1/12/12, Nathan McKee 1/11/11, Jackson West 1/1, Tristan Thissen 1/0.
PUNT RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Dalton McCollum 1/4
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS (YARDS/PER GAME): Julio Rubio 474/158, Adam Martin 397/132.3, Tri Johnson 178/89, Matthew Cook 138/46, Landon Johnson 84/28, Hunter Kent 78/26, Nathan McKee 56/18.7, Fate Berry 30/10, Levy Phillips 14/4.7, Dalton McCollum 4/1.3, Jackson West 1/.3
DEFENSE
TACKLES (ASST/SOLO/TOTAL): Fate Berry 20/8/28, Levy Phillips 10/7/17, Landon Johnson 7/6/13, Kaden Hughes 6/5/11, Hunter Kent 5/5/10, Lawrence Baureis 4/6/10, Tri Johnson 5/4/9, Matthew Cook 6/2/8, Harley Bresnahan 4/2/6, Dalton McCollum 2/4/6, Jackson West 3/2/5, Nathan McKee 1/1/2, Trent Barnes 1/1/2, Preston Jones 1/1/2, Devon Doxey 2/0/2, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1, Tristan Thissen 0/1/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Landon Johnson 3.5, Fate Berry 3, Kaden Hughes 2.5, Levy Phillips 2, Tri Johnson 1, Harley Bresnahan 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Levy Phillips 1/ 5, Kaden Hughes 1/ 4, Harley Bresnahan 1/ 4, Tri Johnson 2/ 18, Fate Berry 2/ 9
INTERCEPTIONS: Dalton McCollum 1
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: None
PUNTING (No./Yards/Avg./Inside20): Adam Martin 5/210/42/0
SCORING: Julio Rubio 54 (9 tds), Jackson Harrod 13 (13-13 PAT), Landon Johnson 12 (2 tds), Adam Martin 12 (2 td), Tri Johnson 12 (2 td), Nathan McKee 6 (1 td)

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: LANDON JOHNSON

MARKEDTIME.COM PANTHER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

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

Heber Springs’ Tri Johnson on the return after getting a block from teammate Dalton McCollum (19).

JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL

Junior Panthers fall to Lonoke

SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL

Panther Cubs remain unbeaten

PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK

  • Saturday, September 28 – Cross Country at Russellville
  • Saturday, September 28 – Volleyball at Hot Springs Lakeside Tournament
  • Monday, September 30 – 4A State Girls Golf at Harrison
  • Monday, September 30 – Volleyball vs. Conway Christian, 4:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, October 1 – 4A State Girls Golf at Harrison
  • Tuesday, October 1 – Tennis at 4A-4 at Clarksville
  • Tuesday, October 1 – Volleyball at Pulaski Academy, 4:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, October 2 – Tennis at 4A-4 at Clarksville
  • Thursday, October 3 – Volleyball at Forrest City, 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 3 – 7th-Football vs. Stuttgart, 5:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 3 – Junior Football vs. Stuttgart, 7 p.m.

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Panther Postgame

Heber Springs falls in heartbreaker, 50-49

Heber Springs’ Tri Johnson looks upfield on the opening kickoff return. Johnson picked up nine yards on the return. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

September 20, 2019

By PHILIP SEATON

HEBER SPRINGS – It was a nonconference slate of a tale of 2-point conversions.

In the opener, Heber Springs failed to convert a 2-point conversion in the final seconds to Clinton and dropped a 28-27 contest. Friday night, Harding Academy (3-0) converted a 2-point conversion with 17.9 seconds left to hand Heber Springs a 50-49 setback.

Heber Springs has started the season 0-3 three out of the past four seasons, including this season, but rebounded in conference play to go 6-1 in conference play in two of those years. The Panthers will open 4A-4 play Friday night at Panther Stadium against Lonoke (1-2).

Against Harding Academy, the fourth quarter turned into an offensive shootout with the two teams trading touchdowns.

Tied at 28-all going into the final stanza, Heber Springs struck first in the quarter with an impressive 15-play, 73-yard drive that consumed the final 3:03 of the third quarter and 2:18 of the fourth.

The Panthers were 16 out of 18 on third-down conversions on the night, including four on the drive.

On third-and-11 from the Panther 45, senior Adam Martin connected with Julio Rubio for a 12-yard completion.

Two plays later the Panthers again faced a third-down situation, this time third-and-1 from the Wildcat 34 as Martin, who rushed for 116 yards on the night, kept for a 4-yard gain on the final play of the third quarter.

After an incomplete pass on first down, Rubio picked up five yards on second down.

On third-and-5 from the 25, Martin again found Rubio for a first down.

Back-to-back 3-yard runs by Adam Martin and Landon Johnson moved the ball to the Wildcat 8.

Two plays later, Rubio would punch the ball in from the 1 to give Heber Springs a 35-28 lead with 9:42 to play, after Jackson Harrod kicked the PAT.

Harding Academy struck quickly with a five-play, 56-yard drive that took only 1:32 off the clock as Caden Sipe, who was 22-of-38 for 366 yards and six touchdowns, connected with Ty Dugger for a 23-yard touchdown strike to make 35-all.

The Panthers used a “Big Cat” play to go back on top 42-35 as Martin connected with Tri Johnson, who also had a 59-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. This time the Johnson raced 76-yards for the score with 7:18 left.

The Wildcats needed four plays to tie things up a 42-42 with 6:07 to play as Sipe found Stone Sheffield for a 34-yard touchdown.

Heber Springs responded with an impressive 11-play, 76-yard drive to go up 49-42 which included two third-down conversions.

Facing third-and-7 from the Panther 26, Martin found Fate Berry for an 11-yard completion.

Two players later, it was another third-down for Heber Springs as Martin found Matthew Cook for a 13-yard completion on a third-and-10.

Three players later, Martin found Rubio for a 15-yard completion to move the ball to the Wildcat 24.

Martin followed with a 14-yard run to put the ball on the Wildcat 10.

On the next play, Rubio raced for paydirt to give the Panthers a 49-42 lead with 1:21 to play.

Harding Academy would go on a nine-play, 80-yard, game-winning drive as Sipe connected with Dugger for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Sipe again used his arm on the 2-point conversion, rolling to his right, he found Connor McGaha in endzone with 17.9.

Heber Springs ran out of time as Martin found Rubio for a 22-yard completion and a 29-yard reception on the games final play.

GAME NOTES

MASCOT DEBUT: The Heber Springs cheer team debuted Pablo and Piper Panther against Harding Academy for their first football game. The duo had made their first appearance at the volleyball match on Tuesday against Joe T. Robinson at the Panther Den.

Pablo and Piper Panther

WELCOME BACK: Record-setting kicker Julian Cameron was an attendance Friday night. Cameron graduated last spring after setting the state record for most consecutive PAT kicks made without a miss. He is kicking this season for Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

BIG NUMBERS: The two teams combined for more than a thousand yards of total offense. Heber Springs had a season high 603 yards on the night.

WELCOME BACK: After missing last week against Greenbrier for concussion protocol following a non-football injury, senior all-conference performer Tri Johnson returned in a big way with two touchdown receptions and a sack on defense.

BIG CATS: Heber Springs had a season-high three “Big Cat” plays (plays of 50 yards or more) against Harding Academy. Adam Martin was involved with all three. The first was a 68-yard run by Martin to put Heber Springs up 14-0 with 2:17 left in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Martin connected with Tri Johnson for a 59-yard touchdown reception and a 76-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter.

Dalton McCollum (9), far left, celebrates with teammates Lawrence Baureis (25) and Hunter Kent (21), after a first-quarter interception.

FIRST TURNOVER: The Panthers picked-up their first turnover of the season when senior Dalton McCollum took a pass from the Wildcat receiver for the interception. Heber Springs would score on the ensuing drive as Adam Martin found Nathan McKee for a 15-yard touchdown reception.

RED ZONE STOP: Heber Springs picked up its first red zone stop of the season in the second quarter. Opponents had been nine for nine inside the Panther 20 this season before Heber Springs got the second-quarter stop. Harding Academy had reached the Panther 16 before Tri Johnson sacked Caden Sipe for a 15-yard loss on third down forcing a Ryan Fox punt.

HEBER SPRINGS COACH WILL COX

SCORING

Harding Academy (3-0)        0  14  14  22 - 50
Heber Springs (0-3)         14   7   7  21 - 49

FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Adam Martin to Nathan McKee 15-yard pass (Jackson Harrod kick), 6:22
Heber Springs - Martin 68-yard run (Harrod kick), 2:17
SECOND QUARTER
Harding Academy - Caden Sipe to Isaac Miller 34-yard pass (Ben Sloan kick), 4:54
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 29-yard run (Harrod kick), 3:34
Harding Academy - Sipe to Connor McGaha 11-yard pass (Sloan kick)
THIRD QUARTER
Harding Academy - Stone Sheffield 33-yard run (Sloan kick), 10:52
Heber Springs - Martin to Tri Johnson 59-yard pass (Harrod kick), 5:05
Harding Academy - Sipe to Ty Dugger 26-yard pass (Sloan kick), 3:03
FOURTH QUARTER
Heber Springs - Rubio 1-yard run (Harrod kick), 9:42
Harding Academy - Sipe to Dugger 23-yard pass (Sloan kick), 8:10
Heber Springs - Martin to Tri Johnson 76-yard pass (Harrod kick), 7:18
Harding Academy - Sipe to Sheffield 34-yard pass (Sloan kick), 6:07
Heber Springs - Rubio 10-yard run (Harrod kick), 1:21
Harding Academy - Sipe to Dugger 16-yard pass (Sipe to McGaha pass), 17.9
Heber Springs Adam Martin runs for positive yardage in the first half against Harding Academy. The senior was responsible for four touchdowns. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

TEAM STATS

First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 12, Harding Academy 5
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 12, Harding Academy 17
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 1, Harding Academy 2
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 25, Harding Academy 24
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 16/18, Harding Academy 3/7
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 0/0, Harding Academy 0/0
Red-Zone Possessions: Heber Springs 3/3 (3 TDs), Harding 2/3 (2 TDs)
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 30:49, Harding Academy 17:11
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 1/1, Harding Academy 1/0
Turnovers: Heber Springs 1, Harding Academy 1
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 7, Harding Academy 7 
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 6/45, Harding Academy 3/30
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 72/613/8.5, Harding Academy 56/486/8.7
Rushing: Heber Springs 47/251/5.3, Harding Academy 18/120/6.7
Passing: Heber Springs 18/25-362-3/0, Harding Academy 22/38-366-6/1
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 2/21, Harding Academy 1/3
Punts: Heber Springs 3/130/43.3, Harding Academy 3/88/29.3
Punts Inside 20: Heber Springs 0, Harding Academy 2
The Heber Springs offensive line. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

INDIVIDUAL STATS

OFFENSE
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 27/127/4.7, Adam Martin 17/116/6.8, Landon Johnson 3/8/2.7. Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield 13/107/8.2, Caden Sipe 5/13/2.6.
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1) 
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1). Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield (1), Caden Sipe (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (1), Julio Rubio (1). Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield (2), Caden Sipe (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (3), Adam Martin (2). Harding Academy, Stone Sheffield (4), Caden Sipe (1).
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 18/25-362-3/0. Harding Academy, Caden Sipe 22/38-366-6/1.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 6/111, Matthew Cook 5/65, Tri Johnson 2/135, Fate Berry 2/23, Nathan McKee 1/15, Landon Johnson 1/8, Hunter Kent 1/5. Harding Academy, Ty Dugger 11/194, Isaac Miller 5/75, Connor McGaha 4/49, Stone Sheffield 1/34, Carter Neal 1/14.
RECEPTIONS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2).
RECEPTIONS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2)
RECEPTIONS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2), Matthew Cook (1). Harding Academy, Ty Dugger (2), Stone Sheffield (1).
RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson (2), Julio Rubio (2), Matthew Cook (1). Harding Academy, Ty Dugger (5), Stone Sheffield (1).
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 478, Julio Rubio 127, Landon Johnson 8. Harding Academy, Caden Side 379, Stone Sheffield 107.
PUNT RETURNS: None
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 2/39, Tri Johnson 2/30, Levy Phillips 2/14, Jackson West 1/1, Tristan Thissen 1/0. Harding Academy, Ty Dugger 3/69, Stone Sheffield 2/39, Carter Neal 1/13, Parker Golden 1/13. 
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Heber Springs, Dalton McCollum 1/4
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 238, Tri Johnson 165, Adam Martin 116, Matthew Cook 104, Fate Berry 23, Landon Johnson 16, Nathan McKee 15, Levy Phillips 14, Hunter Kent 5, Dalton McCollum 4, Jackson West 1, Tristan Thissen 0. Harding Academy, Ty Dugger 263, Stone Sheffield 180, Isaac Miller 75, Connor McGaha 49, Carter Neal 27, Parker Golden 13, Caden Sipe 13.
DEFENSE
TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 4/2/6, Levy Phillips 2/3/5, Tri Johnson 2/2/4, Landon Johnson 2/0/2, Dalton McCollum 0/2/2, Kaden Hughes 2/0/2, Hunter Kent 1/1/2, Nathan McKee 1/1/2, Jackson West 1/1/2, Lawrence Baureis 2/0/2, Tristan Thissen 0/1/1, Devon Doxey 1/0/1, Matthew Cook 1/0/1, Harley Bresnahan 1/0/1, Gus Hannah 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 1.5, Fate Berry 1, Kaden Hughes .5
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 1/15, Fate Berry 1/6. Harding Academy, Cooper Welch 1/3/
INTERCEPTIONS: Heber Springs, Dalton McCollum 1/4
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Harding Academy, Team 1/0
PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 3/130/43.3. Harding Academy, Ryan Fox 3/88/29.3
PUNTS INSIDE 20: Harding Academy, Ryan Fox (2).
Heber Springs junior Matthew Cook gets brought down by Harding Academy defender Friday night. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

VIDEO SCENES FROM THE SIDELINES

Opening Coin Toss and Panther Run Out

Heber Springs Cheer and Dance Halftime Show

Heber Springs Band Halftime Show

Heber Springs Halftime Band Jam With Students

PHOTO GAME SCENES

Panther Postgame

Heber Springs falls to Greenbrier, 35-21

Heber Springs quarterback Adam Martin attempts to get a pass off as Greenbrier defensive end Brandon Beck puts up his arm to block in first-quarter action at Don Jones Stadium in Greenbrier on Friday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

September 13, 2019

By PHILIP SEATON

GREENBRIER – Heber Springs held Greenbrier to 254 yards of total offense, but three turnovers cost the Cleburne County Panthers a chance a victory Friday night at Don Jones Stadium as the Faulkner County Panthers claimed a 35-21 victory in the last game in the foreseeable future between these two former conference foes.

Greenbrier (2-0) turned two Heber Springs fumbles and an interception into 14 points as Ryan Barnard, who finished the night with 16 tackles, picked off an Adam Martin pass and stripped the Heber Springs senior quarterback on a potential game-tying drive late in the contest.

The Cleburne County Panthers struck first with an impressive 16-play, 80-yard drive to open the game as Martin scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal, to make it 7-0 with 5:03 to play in the opening quarter after senior Jackson Harrod connected on the extra-point kick.

Martin was six-of-eight passing for 55 yards on the drive, connecting with five different receivers. Besides the fourth-down conversion that Heber Springs scored on, the Panthers also converted on a fourth-and-4 from the Greenbrier 32 when Martin found Nathan McKee for a 13-yard completion.

“That’s excellence from top to bottom,” Heber Springs coach Will Cox said, “from what the guys were doing executing to play-calling wise. Coach Bishop did a great job there, and that’s what he does. He’s a great play-caller. He’s a great offensive coordinator.

“(But more importantly) to understand the game we were playing. We knew were going to have to shorten the game down a bit. The longer this game went the more it worked against just because of numbers wise. Really, really great first drive. Great momentum for us.”

That momentum for Heber Springs carried forward on the ensuing Greenbrier possession as Levy Phillips pressured quarterback Jackson Riddle on a backwards lateral. The ball was batted around before Greenbrier finally recovered it on their own 2 for a 35-yard loss.

“Would have really liked to gotten a hold of the ball at the 2,” Cox said while still praising the play of his defense and Phillips. “(Phillips) started at corner in week 1. Diego gets hurt a bit and we have to move him to outside backer, and he made some great plays for us tonight coming off that weak side. Can’t say how proud I am of the way our defense competed tonight.”

Heber Springs forced a punt and ended up with great field possession on its own 49 with 3:22 left in the first quarter, but Barnard stepped in front of the Martin pass-attempt to give the ball back to Greenbrier.

From there, the Faulkner County Panthers marched 58 yards in eight plays to tie things up at 7-all with 1:05 left in the first.

The two teams traded possessions until late in the first half when Greenbrier took advantage of short field as Riddle connected with Jaron Kuykendall for a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 with 3:34 left in the half.

Heber Springs managed to push into Greenbrier territory late in the half, but a holding penalty stalled the momentum and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs with 19 seconds left at the Greenbrier 40.

Greenbrier used a six-play drive at the start of the third quarter to go up 21-7 after Peyton Long scored his second of four touchdowns on the night with a three-yard run.

Heber Springs turned the ball over on its next possession at the 50-yard line, but the Panther defense stiffened forcing a Greenbrier punt. The Panthers moved the ball from its own 25 to the Greenbrier 40, but penalty put Heber Springs in a third-and-long situation and Heber Springs was unable to convert on fourth down.

Greenbrier once again took advantage of the excellent field position moving from their own 47 on a four-play drive to go up 28-7 with 1:08 left in the third quarter.

“Probably lot of people probably expected that (28-7), but us coaches we didn’t,” Cox said. “(We didn’t) just because we know these kids, and they didn’t. That’s a testament to this senior class. They are fighters. They never think they are out of a game.”

And they weren’t.

Heber Springs got a quick strike on the ground as Julio Rubio broke free for a 72-yard touchdown run with 11:47 to play.

The Panther defense stiffened again and got the ball back with 10:06 left.

Heber Springs then used a 15-play, 53-yard drive to cut the deficit to a touchdown with 4:05 after Landon Johnson plowed into the end zone on second effort from the 3.

A three-and-out gave Heber Springs a chance to tie things with 2:26 to play on their own 38, but a fumble ended the comeback attempt as Greenbrier tacked on a touchdown with 48 seconds left to set the margin.

Heber Springs senior offensive lineman Harley Hannah. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME NOTES

SERIES: With the growing enrollment at Greenbrier, the meeting will mark the last in the series between the former conference foes. The Panthers nonconference schedule next season will consist of Newport, Harding Academy and Dover.

CLOSE GAMES: 24 games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less, including Friday night’s contest.

BIG CAT PLAY: Heber Springs had its first “Big Cat” play (a play of 50 yards or more) when Julio Rubio broke free for a 79-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

STATE RECORD AND COUNTING: As a team, Heber Springs has connected on 108 extra-point kicks which is a team state record. Julian Cameron connected on 100 straight before graduating last season. Graduated senior Seth Dickson also connected on two extra point kicks in 2018. Friday night, Jackson Harrod is a perfect five-for-five on the season.

FOX 16’s FEARLESS FRIDAY: For the second week in a row, Wess Moore’s Fox 16 Fearless Friday show had a crew to film Heber Springs. In week one against Clinton, Stephanie Sharp reported live after that game.

PANTHER PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Heber Springs senior linebacker Levy Phillips finished with seven total tackles including two for a los and a sack.
Heber Springs senior offensive lineman Harley Hannah helped anchor the line that saw the Panthers rush for 307 yards and three touchdowns.

SCORING

Heber Springs (0-2)       7  0  0  14 - 21
Greenbrier (2-0)          7  7  14  7 - 35

FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Adam Martin 1-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 5:03
Greenbrier - Peyton Long 6-yard run (Cody Powell kick), 1:05
SECOND QUARTER
Greenbrier - Jackson Riddle to Jaron Kuykendall 10-yard pass (Powell kick), 3:34
THIRD QUARTER
Greenbrier - Long 3-yard run (Powell kick), 9:53
Greenbrier - Long 5-yard run (Powell kick), 1:08
FOURTH QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 72-yard run (Harrod kick), 11:47
Heber Springs - Landon Johnson 3-yard run (Harrod kick), 4:05
Greenbrier - Long 4-yard run (Powell kick), :48
Heber Springs coach Will Cox

Heber Springs coach Will Cox

We said going into this game that turnovers were going to be the key, and we were minus three on it, (yet) two-and-half minutes left and we are down a touchdown. We have to do a better job of holding on to the football. But more importantly, defensively do a better job of creating turnovers. Our guys scrapped on both sides of the football, and that was exciting to see. A team like Greenbrier, a team as well-coached as they are and has the numbers they have, you can’t spot them three series and that’s what we did.

TEAM STATS

First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 17, Greenbrier 6
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 4, Greenbrier 9
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Greenbrier 0
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 21, Greenbrier 15
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 6/14, Greenbrier 2/7
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 4/7, Greenbrier 0/0
Red-Zone Possessions: Heber Springs 2/2 (2 TDs), Greenbrier 5/5 (5 TDs)
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 29:34, Greenbrier 18:26
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 3/2, Greenbrier 2/0
Turnovers: Heber Springs 3, Greenbrier 0
Points Off Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Greenbrier 14  
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 4/25, Greenbrier 5/40
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 76/390/5.2, Greenbrier 46/254/5.4
Rushing: Heber Springs 56/305/5.5, Greenbrier 28/77/2.7
Passing: Heber Springs 10/20-85-0/1, Greenbrier 16/18-177-1/0
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 4/16, Greenbrier 3/11
Punts: Heber Springs 1/38/38, Greenbrier 4/143/35.8

INDIVIDUAL STATS

OFFENSE
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 28/120/4.3, Julio Rubio 23/170/7.4, Landon Johnson 4/9/2.3, Nathan McKee 1/6/6. Greenbrier, Peyton Long 20/110/5.5, Jackson Riddle 6/(-26)/(-3.7), Trey Havens 2/(-7)/(-3.5).
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: 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, Adam Martin (1), Julio Rubio (1). Greenbrier, Peyton Long (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (4), Julio Rubio (3). Greenbrier, Peyton Long (5), Jackson Riddle (2).
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 10/20-85-0/1. Greenbrier, Jackson Riddle 16/18-177-1/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 3/27, Matthew Cook 3/21, Julio Rubio 2/20, Nathan McKee 1/10, Fate Berry 1/7. Greenbrier, Talon Moore 5/31, Bryce Morehart 4/55, Logan King 2/35, Brody Johnson 2/22, Jaron Kuykendall 2/15, Ryan Barnard 1/19.
RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Greenbrier, Bryce Morehart (2), Logan King (1).
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 205, Julio Rubio 170, Landon Johnson 9, Nathan McKee 6.
PUNT RETURNS: None
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent 3/46, Julio Rubio 1/12, Nathan McKee 1/11. Greenbrier, Talon Moore 1/25, Logan King 1/18, Brody Johnson 1/18. 
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 202, Adam Martin 120, Hunter Kent 73, Nathan McKee 27, Matthew Cook 21, Landon Johnson 9, Fate Berry 7. Greenbrier, Peyton Long 110, Talon Moore 56, Bryce Morehart 55, Logan King 53, Brody Johnson 40, Ryan Bernard 19, Jaron Kuykendall 15, Trey Havens (-7), Jackson Riddle (-26).
DEFENSE
TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 8/3/11, Levy Phillips 4/3/7, Kaden Hughes 2/3/5, Landon Johnson 4/1/5, Harley Bresnahan 3/2/5, Dalton McCollum 2/2/4, Hunter Kent 3/1/4, Matthew Cook 3/1/4, Lawrence Baureis 2/1/3, Jackson Harrod 1/0/1, Jackson West 1/0/1, Trent Barnes 1/0/1, Devon Doxey 1/0/1, Preston Jones 1/0/1. Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 8/8/16, Jacob Keller 12/4/16, Ty Embry 5/5/10, Talon Moore 6/3/9, Chance Embry 3/4/7, Jeremy Hardcastle 3/3/6, Payton Riddle 2/4/6, Dawson Spencer 3/2/5, Bryce Morehart 2/3/5, Nick Huett 2/2/4, Brandon Beck 1/3/4, Avery Thomas 2/1/3, Logan King 2/1/3, Tanner Collins 2/1/3, Keaton Whitley 1/0/1, Trey Havens 1/0/1, Jeremy Parker 1/0/1, Josh Robinson 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Levy Phillips 2, Fate Berry 1, Landon 1, Harley Bresnahan 1. Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 2, Jacob Keller 1, Payton Riddle 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Heber Springs, Levy Phillips 1/5, Kaden Hughes 1/4, Harley Bresnahan 1/4, Fate Berry 1/3. Greenbrier, Jeremy Hardcastle 1/7, Payton Riddle 1/2, Avery Thomas 1/2.
INTERCEPTIONS: Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 1.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Greenbrier, Ryan Barnard 1, Jacob Keller 1.

GAME SCENES

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Panther Postgame

Heber Springs comes up short against Clinton, 28-27

Heber Springs quarterback Adam Martin looks to evade the tackle of Clinton’s Ryan Jones Friday Night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HEBER SPRINGS – It was a tale of penalties in the final eight minutes that helped decide the “Battle of the Little Red” Friday night at Panther Stadium as Clinton claimed a 28-27 victory.

Tied at 21-all, Clinton go the benefit of a pass interference call on a second-and-long play that helped move the ball from the Clinton 29 to the Clinton 44. Eight plays later on fourth-and-4, Yellowjacket quarterback Weston Amos connected with Austin Drake for a 17-yard touchdown with 4:25 to play to put Clinton up 27-21. On the extra-point attempt, a high snap forced Amos was forced to scramble. He connected with the pass attempt that was stopped short of the goal line, but a roughing the passer penalty was called giving Clinton another shot. This time senior Matt Gonzalez was able to get the kick off and give the Yellowjackets the lead at 28-21 .

After a 13-yard kickoff return by junior Matthew Cook, a holding call and false-start penalty pushed Heber Springs back to it’s own 15-yard line. From there, seniors Adam Martin and Julio Rubio put the Panthers on their backs and marched downfield. A 13-yard run by Martin and a 12- and 5-yard run by Rubio gave Heber Springs a first-down. After a four-yard run by Martin, the senior signal-caller connected with all-conference performer Tri Johnson for another first down moving the ball to the Yellowjacket 45. Two plays later Rubio took the ball and ran straight up the middle for a 39-yard touchdown run with 1:20 to play.

Senior Jackson Harrod was sent out to attempt the extra point, but Clinton was whistled for being offsides moving the ball half the distance to the goal line. Instead of attempting to tie the game and potentially send the “Battle of the Little Red River” into overtime for the first time since 1989, Heber Springs coach Will Cox decided to go for the lead and potentially the win with the two-point conversion. A high snap slowed Martin’s momentum and he was stopped just short of the end zone with his helmet touching the goal-line, but the ball just short.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Clinton’s Tye Pruitt and the Yellowjackets ran out the clock for the win.

“We were going to kick the extra (point), then we got the penalty,” Cox said.
“Really our offense had been moving well, and I felt good where we were at. I thought they were playing on the heals a bit and got aggressive, tried to win it right there. It’s tough, that’s a tough one. I think in the same situation, I would probably do that again. I feel very confident in our offense and being able to do that.”

Martin paced Heber Springs on the ground by rushing 25 times for 161 yards, while Rubio carried the ball 12 times for 94 yard and three touchdowns.

Heber Springs will travel to 5A Greenbrier on Friday night.

Heber Springs kicker Jackson Harrod signals good on a first-quarter, extra-point attempt. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME NOTES

SERIES: Since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red” trophy, Clinton has won all four meetings between the two schools and now leads the all-time series, 40-38-5.

SOMETHING WITH 28: In three of the four wins by Clinton since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red”, the Yellowjackets have scored 28 points, the only exception was 36-34 win in 2018 in Clinton.

CLOSE GAMES: 24 games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less, including Friday night’s contest.

Former Heber Springs “chain-gang” member Tom Bly performs the ceremonial coin toss before Friday’s game. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HONORARY CAPTAINS: Former Clinton, and Harding University, quarterback Park Parish was the honorary captain for the Yellowjackets while members of the “chain gang” from the 1970s, 80s and 90s were honorary captains for Heber Springs. Ron Gillispie, Tom Bly, Rodney Bise, Denver Gillispie, Ben Rorie, Tommy Park, Win Hargus and Travis Howard.

COIN TOSS: Tom Bly did the coin flip which was won by Heber Springs.

FIGHT LIKE A KID: Cara Morehead of Fight Like at Kid/Make A Wish was on hand to receive a pregame donation from members of Heber Springs and Clinton school administrations. The two communities raised $9,708 dollars to help grant a wish for a Greers Ferry Lake area child.

STUFF THE BUS: Heber Springs and Clinton were involved in a friendly competition that involved being awarded points for donating food for each school’s food banks as well as a diapers/baby wipes that were donated to “The Call” in each community. Heber Springs finished with 19,851 points while Clinton finished with 4,902. As a result, Heber Springs won the “Community Impact Award” banner for 2019.

INVOCATION: Caleb Parish, a member of the Heber Springs Fellowship of Christian Athletes, presented the pregame invocation.

ONSIDE KICK: For the second year in a row, Heber Springs won the opening toss, but Clinton elected to attempt an onside kick, as they did in 2018. They recovered the ball both times.

STATE RECORD AND COUNTING: As a team, Heber Springs has connected on 105 extra-point kicks which is a team state record. Julian Cameron connected on 100 straight before graduating last season. Graduated senior Seth Dickson also connected on two extra point kicks in 2018. Friday night, Jackson Harrod was three-for-three to continue the streak.

FOX 16’s FEARLESS FRIDAY: For the second year in a row, Wess Moore’s Fox 16 Fearless Friday show had a crew at the “Battle of the Little Red”. Last season, Jay Bir was on the sidelines. This year, Stephanie Sharp covered the game for the Little Rock television station.

DRIVE SUMMARIES

First Quarter

Clinton: 3 plays, minus 9 yards, 2:20. Start: Clinton 47. Result: Punt. Key Plays: Clinton recovered an onside kick to start the contest. On third down, a high snap resulted in an 18-yard loss.

Heber Springs: 12 plays, 68 yards, 4:55. Start: Heber Springs 32. Result: Landon Johnson 3-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod extra-point kick. Key Plays: A 21-yard run on a quarterback draw by Adam Martin on the second play of the drive to move the ball to the Clinton 39. A 7-yard run by Landon Johnson on fourth-and-three from the Clinton 32, and a Johnson 13-yard run to move the ball to the Clinton 3. Score: Heber Springs 7, Clinton 0. Coach Cox: “We really thought with how they were defensively that we could spread them out with our skill, and that would open some running lanes with Adam. Kinda pick your poison, if they fill the box then we could throw it out; and if they spread it out to cover our pass, then Adam could make some plays with his feet. He really showed that.”

Heber Springs’ Landon Johnson looks upfield after taking the ball from Adam Martin (2). Fate Berry (3) is blocking on the play. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Clinton: 7 plays, 72 yards, 2:15. Start: Clinton 28. Result: 17-yard touchdown run by Jordan Hinchey. Matt Gonzalez kick. Key Plays: On fourth-and-19 at the Clinton 19, Weston Amos ran for an eight-yard gain, but a 15-yard face mask penalty moved the ball to the Clinton 42. On the next play, another unsportsmanlike penalty on Heber Springs moved the ball to the Heber Springs 25. Score: Heber Springs 7, Clinton 7.

Heber Springs: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:57. Start: Heber Springs 21 Result: Clinton interception. Key Plays: On third down from the Heber Springs 41, Rubio carried the ball to the Heber Springs 46. After a first-down pass from Martin to Nathan McKee went for 22 yards, a ball went out of the hands of Tri Johnson into the awaiting arms of Clinton’s Kadence Sowell. Coach Cox: ” I have some much trust in Tri. I know he can make big plays and I’ve seen him do it before. What he’s done so far is just so impressive in what kind of athlete he is, and what kind of player he is. I have complete confidence in what he can do.”

Second Quarter

Clinton: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:14. Start: Clinton 42. Result: Turnover on downs. Key Play: On fourth-and-2 from the Heber Springs 49, Amos was stopped a yard short by Landon Johnson and Julio Rubio. Coach Cox: “Our guys flew around. We finished with (giving up) 28 and that’s more than what we want to give up defensively, but I really like the way were flying around. We had 11 guys chasing trying to make a play every time and that’s another thing we can take from this game.”

Heber Springs: 9 plays, 51 yards, 4:16. Start: Heber Springs 49. Result: Julio Rubio 13-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod PAT kick. Key plays: On fourth-and-1 at the Clinton 28, Martin picked up seven yards to extend the chains. After being sacked on first down, Martin gained 13 yards on third-and-16 from the Clinton 27 to make it a fourth-and-2 for Rubio’s touchdown run. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 7. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 7. Coach Cox: “I think that was a big question mark for everybody was, ‘how are we going to be able to run the ball graduating Blaze Nelson?’ This offensive line, these backs and Adam really showed that we are team that can still run the ball so that was exciting to see for sure.”

Heber Springs running back Julio Rubio is brought down by at Clinton defender. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Clinton: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:17. Start: Clinton 29. Result: Jordan Hinchey 2-yard touchdown run. Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: An 18-yard run by Nicholas Epley on the first play of the drive to move the ball to the Clinton 47, and an 18-yard run by Hinchey to push it to the Panther 16. Score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 14.

Heber Springs: 6 plays, 24 yards, 2:46. Start: Heber Springs 29. Result: End of half. Key Play: Martin rushed for six yards on a third-and-five to extend the drive, but a sack two plays later ended the half. Halftime score: Heber Springs 14, Clinton 14.

Third Quarter

Clinton: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:18. Start: Clinton 25. Result: 10-yard touchdown run by Logan Moudy. Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: On third-and-2 from the Clinton 32, Weston Amos rushed for 23 yard to move the ball to the Panther 45. On third-and-12 from the Heber Springs 27, Amos connected with Austin Drake for a 15-yard, first-down completion. Score: Clinton 21, Heber Springs 14.

Clinton quarterback Weston Amos escapes the pressure of Heber Springs senior defensive lineman Kaden Hughes. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Heber Springs: 3 plays, 5 yards, 2:00. Start: Heber Springs 30. Result: Adam Martin punt. Key Play: A false-start penalty on first down stalled the drive.

Clinton: 8 plays, 12 yards, 4:42. Start: Clinton 23. Result: Punt. Key Play: A Tri Johnson sack on third down forced a Clinton punt.

Fourth Quarter

Heber Springs: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:43. Start: Heber Springs 40. Result: Julio Rubio 2-yard touchdown run. Jackson Harrod PAT kick. Key Plays: On third-and-3 from the Panther 47, Adam Martin rushed six yards for a first down. On first-and-10 from the Clinton 27, Martin ran 25 yards to put the ball on the Clinton 2. Score: Heber Springs 21, Clinton 21. Coach Cox: “They have a lot of character. It’s really good group. There are some really good senior leaders and they really laid it out there. Proud of the way they competed.”

Clinton: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:52. Start: Clinton 30. Result: Weston Amos to Austin Drake 17-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Matt Gonzalez PAT kick. Key Plays: On second-and-11 from the Clinton 29, a defensive pass interference call put the ball on the Clinton 44. On the first play after the call, Ethen Drake picked up 19 yards to move the ball to the Panther 35. After a high snap on the extra-point attempt, Amos scrambled and completion was two yards short but a roughing the passer called allowed for the successful PAT kick. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 21. Coach Cox: “There were some tough calls. Didn’t see the late hit on the quarterback, I had my eyes down here (at the other end of the field). These refs were good to us all game as far as communicating. We just didn’t make the plays when we needed to make them.”

Heber Springs: 9 plays, 66 yards, 3:05. Start: Heber Springs 34. Result: Julio Rubio 39-yard touchdown run. Two-point run failed. Key Plays: A 13-yard run by Adam Martin on first-and-29 play from the Panther 15 followed by 12-yard run by Rubio. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27.

Clinton: 4 plays, 22 yards, 1:20. Start: Clinton 42. Result: End of game. Key Plays: Tye Pruitt recovered the onside kick and a 19-yard run by Jordan Hinchey to give Clinton a first down. Score: Clinton 28, Heber Springs 27. Coach Cox: “This is a good senior group. It hurts and I know it hurts them, but they have been through more adversity than this and responded well.”

PANTHER PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Senior Adam Martin rushed 25 times for 161 yards.
Senior Fate Berry finished with a team high 11 tackles.
Senior Julio Rubio rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

SCORING

Clinton        7  7  7  7 - 28
Heber Springs  7  7  0 13 - 27

FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Landon Johnson 3-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 4:45
Clinton - Jordan Hinchey 17-yard run (Matt Gonzalez kick), 2:30
SECOND QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 13-yard run (Harrod kick), 6:03
Clinton - Hincey 2-yard run (Gonzalez kick), 2:46 
THIRD QUARTER
Clinton - Logan Moudy 10-yard run (Gonzalez kick), 6:42
FOURTH QUARTER
Heber Springs - Rubio 2-yard run (Harrod kick), 9:17
Clinton - Weston Amos to Austin Drake 17-yard pass (Gonzalez kick), 4:25
Heber Springs - Rubio 39-yard run (run failed), 1:20

Heber Springs coach Will Cox

It stings as a rivalry game. I tell you what it stings the hardest because I know how hard these kids worked. I wanted this win for them. I wanted the win for the community, but I wanted the win for these boys because they earned it. These kids fought. They fought the whole game. That’s a good Clinton team and our kids fought. I told them at the end of the game that’s something we can build on and that’s something that can help us make this a special run.

TEAM STATS

First Downs by Rush: Heber Springs 17, Clinton 17
First Downs by Pass: Heber Springs 2, Clinton 2
First Downs by Penalty: Heber Springs 0, Clinton 2
Total First Downs: Heber Springs 19, Clinton 21
Third-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 6/9, Clinton 4/8
Fourth-Down Conversions: Heber Springs 3/3, Clinton 1/2
Time of Possession: Heber Springs 22:52, Clinton 24:08
Fumbles/Lost: Heber Springs 1/1, Clinton 1/0
Turnovers: Heber Springs 2, Clinton 0
Penalties/Yards: Heber Springs 9/76, Clinton 7/46
Plays/Total Offense/YPP: Heber Springs 54/344/6.4, Clinton 55/295/5.4
Rushing: Heber Springs 50/314/6.3, Clinton 43/244/5.7
Passing: Heber Springs 2/4-30-0/1, Clinton 5/12-51-1/0
Sacks/Yards Lost: Heber Springs 1/14, Clinton 2/10
Punts: Heber Springs 1/42/42, Clinton 2/70/35

INDIVIDUAL STATS

OFFENSE
RUSHING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 25/161/6.5; Julio Rubio 12/94/7.8; Landon Johnson 13/59/4.5. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 14/104/6.5; Ethen Drake 7/57/8.1; Nicholas Epley 5/41/8.2; Weston Amos 13/35/2.7; Logan Moudy 2/11/5.5; Team 2/(-4)/(-2).
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (2), Julio Rubio (1). Clinton, Weston Amos (1), Ethen Drake (1).
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Adam Martin (6), Julio Rubio (3), Landon Johnson (1). Clinton, Jordan Hinchey (4), Weston Amos (2), Ethen Drake (2), Nicholas Epley (2), Logan Moudy (1).
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 2/4-30-0/1. Clinton, Weston Amos 5/12-51-1/0.
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee 1/24/24, Tri Johnson 1/6/6. Clinton, Austin Drake 2/32/16; Nicholas Epley 2/15/7.5; Ethen Drake 1/7/7.
RECEPTIONS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Nathan McKee (1).
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 191, Julio Rubio 94, Landon Johnson 59. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 104, Weston Amos 86, Ethen Drake 57, Nicholas Epley 41, Logan Moudy 11, Team (-4).
PUNT RETURNS: None
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Matthew Cook 1/13, Tri Johnson 1/7. Clinton, Austin Drake 2/33/16.5
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: Clinton, Kadence Sowell 1/12.
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 161, Julio Rubio 94, Landon Johnson 59, Nathan McKee 24, Tri Johnson 13, Matthew Cook 13.  Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 104, Austin Drake 65, Ethen Drake 64, Nicholas Epley 56, Weston Amos 35, Kadence Sowell 12, Logan Moudy 11, Team (-4).
DEFENSE
TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Fate Berry 8/3/11, Nathan McKee 6/4/10, Landon Johnson 1/5/6; Tri Johnson 2/3/5; Levy Phillips 4/1/5; Lawrence Baureis 0/5/5; Kaden Hughes 2/2/4; Hunter Kent 1/3/4; Matthew Cook 2/1/3; Jackson West 1/1/2; Trent Barnes 0/1/1; Preston Jones 0/1/1. Clinton, Jordan Hinchey 6/7/13; Ryan Jones 7/3/10; Kadence Sowell 2/4/7; Ethen Drake 3/1/4; Jayden Exzabe 2/2/4; Kenneth Ethridge 0/4/4; Austin Drake 2/1/3; Nicholas Epley 0/3/3; Blaine Emberton 2/1/3; Chase Blanton 2/1/3; Hunter Johnson 2/1/3; Logan Moudy 0/1/1; Matt Gonzalez 1/0/1; Cade Treadaway 0/1/1; David Henson 1/0/1.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Kaden Hughes 2, Landon Johnson 1, Tri Johnson 1, Fate Berry 1. Clinton, Ryan Jones 1, Jordan Hinchey 1, Jayden Exzabe 1.
SACKS: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 1/14. Clinton, Ryan Jones 1/7, Jayden Exzabe 1/3.
INTERCEPTIONS: Clinton, Kadence Sowell 1/12.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Clinton, Nicholas Epley 1/0.

GAME SCENES

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Always taking submissions of old photos, and other collections of old sports notes and scorebooks of any sport on any level, including recreational, as long as it is Arkansas based.

VHS tapes: Can convert them for free. Please e-mail me at: [email protected] or message me on Facebook.

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Panther GameDay

Battle of the Little Red: Heber Springs vs. Clinton

Heber Springs junior Matthew Cook fights for yardage as Vilonia’s Kyle Vines brings him to the ground during a scrimmage at Phillip D. Weaver Stadium in Vilonia on August 27. See story below. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium
  • 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 here.
  • Honorary Captains: For Heber Springs, members of the “chain gang” from the 1970s, 80s and 90s. For Clinton, former Clinton Yellowjacket and Harding University quarterback Park Parish.

PREGAME FESTIVITIES

Pregame tailgating starts at 4:30 p.m. with a free concert by Clinton’s Heath Sanders beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sanders, a former oilfield worker turned full-time musician, whose popularity skyrocketed after a performance on Arkansas native Bobby Bones’ radio show in early 2018.

LAST SEASON

A back-and-forth game went to Clinton, 36-34, as Julian Cameron’s game-winning field-goal attempt was no good. Lyon College signee Blaze Nelson rushed 33 times for 288 yards and four touchdowns for Heber Springs, while junior Weston Amos passed for 209 yards and four touchdowns including five of those to junior Austin Drake, who finished with 190 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Heber Springs Coach Will Cox …

GETTING TO KNOW COACH

When Darren Gowen resigned in May to pursue other coaching opportunities in northwest Arkansas (he has since been hired as offensive coordinator at Gravette), the search was put on hold and co-defensive coordinator Will Cox was named the interim coach for the upcoming season.

Will Cox

Cox grew up and graduated from Highland in 2007. After high school, he played football at Concordia College in Nebraska. He then entered the coaching field where he coached for two years at his alma mater before spending two years on the staff at Greenville College in Illinois. Cox joined the staff last season and was a co-defensive coordinator.

He is married to Taylor, and the have a son that will be two years old in December, Grayson.

Offensive- or defensive-minded?

I am more of defensive mind of guy. I played defense in high school and college. I’m just a defensive guy, so I enjoy that.

What will Panther fans see defensively?

You are going to see a big change. We have switched to more of a 3-3-stack defense. We are going to be more aggressive in what we are doing. We are smaller than we have been, but what we have done with our defense is identify our 11 to 15 best tacklers and how can we get them on the field. You have a guy like Landon Johnson that has been the starting linebacker. He’s playing nose right now and he’s wrecking havoc, making our offensive line better. He’s a good football player and the closer we can get him to the ball the better. Defensively, we are going to be pretty aggressive and faster. Since we are smaller than we have been in the past, I believe that puts us in a better situation. As a team that also means that we don’t have to use offensive linemen on defense which puts us in a situation where we can go faster on offense and stay fresher.

What about the offense?

We are going to be similar to last year and what coach Gowen did. We have Coach (Jay) Bishop who coached with him I think six years and really knows the offense inside and out, but just what you do each year, you change with the personnel you have. We have coach (Chase) Roberts in here this year, and him coach Bishop have really gelled well together. We are putting a little bit more of the quarterbacks’ plate this year, when you have a three-year starter (Adam Martin), you can do that so allowing in him to take a little bit more role of ownership of our offense in running more through him and putting the ball in his hands a little bit more. Losing Blaze Nelson, that does change things, when you have him that allows you to do certain things. We don’t have Blaze, but we have a group of running backs that give us a lot of different things. The offense will be pretty similar from what you seen on Friday nights last year, but how we get there will be a little bit different.

On the interim coach tag …

It’s an awesome opportunity. I think this school and administration has really helped for this team to be successful. We lost one coach and brought in two (Roberts and Hunter Davis). They understand the senior class we have is a talented group of kids, a good group of kids, that have been through a lot so trying to keep that continuity. I told our kids that this is a testament to them,and who they are, and how this administration sees these kids. To be the head coach in Heber Springs is a pretty awesome opportunity. We have a really great situation going.  I would love for that tag to removed at the end of the season and continue on here. I think it’s a great place.

THE SERIES

HEBER SPRINGS VS. CLINTON
 “Battle of the Little Red”
Clinton leads the series 39-38-5.
Games played in Heber Springs: Tied, 19-19-1
Games played in Clinton: Clinton leads 20-18-4
Games played on a Neutral Field: Heber Springs leads, 1-0.

FIRST MEETING: Heber Springs’ first season of football was 1913 and it would be 26 years before Clinton fielded its first team. It didn’t take long for the two teams to meet after that with Heber Springs winning the first game played between the two schools on October 13, 1939, in Heber Springs. The Panthers won by a score of 31-0 on that day. The two teams met again less than a month later on Veteran’s Day (November 11) 1939 in Clinton where the Panthers and Yellowjackets played to a 6-6 tie. The teams would go on to play continuously after that with a couple of exceptions. During World War II, neither school fielded a team during the 1943 season while Clinton did not field one during the 1944 season. After the war, Clinton and Heber Springs would meet twice per season in 1945 and 1946 with the Yellowjackets winning all four meetings. Financial constraints in the Heber Springs School District forced the school to not field a football team for the 1947 and 1948 seasons. The two teams meet again during the 1949 season with Clinton winning both games of the home-and-home series. The teams would go on continuously playing until 2007 when the opener scheduled with Clinton — which was played during the 2006 season at the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic at Estes Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway — was changed to allow the Panthers to play Mayflower instead of Clinton in the same Kickoff Classic in 2007. The series resumed in 2008 and continues today.
LONGEST WINNING STREAKS: Clinton has won six straight in the series twice. Once from 1945-1949 and the second time from 2000-2005. Heber Springs won seven straight in the series from 1978-1984.
CONFERENCE FOES: Heber Springs and Clinton were first paired in the same conference in 1974. They would be paired in the same conference from 1974-1990. They would again be paired in the same conference from 1993-2001 and from 2008-2013. The two teams will be in the same conference next season when Clinton moves back up to class 4A. The Yellowjackets will replace Riverview in week 9.
OVERTIME GAMES: There have only been three overtime games in the series and those all occurred during a four-year span from 1986-1989. Clinton won a double overtime home contest in 1986 (20-14) while the Panthers won in overtime the following season in 1987, 19-12, in Heber Springs. In 1989, Clinton defeated Heber Springs, 13-12, at Panther Stadium.
CLOSE GAMES: Twenty-three of the games have been decided by a touchdown or less during the series, not including the five ties.
NOVEMBER THE 4TH: Strangely enough the largest margin of both schools in the series occurred the same day 50 years apart with Clinton (56) winning 56-0 on Nov. 4, 1949; while Heber Springs (39), won 57-18 on Nov. 4, 1999. The 75 combined points both teams in that 1999 contest remain the most combined points in any contest during the series.
DEFENSE: Of the 81 games played between the schools, the two teams have only combined to score more than 50 points or more 12 times, with seven those 50-plus combined scoring games coming since 2008.
COACH’S WIFE: Clinton head coach Chris Dufrene’s wife Heather (Bivins) is a 1987 graduate of Heber Springs High School.
TROPHY GAMES: Heber Springs won the trophy for the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic between the two schools in 2006, but since the inception of the “Battle of the Little Red” trophy, Clinton has won all three meetings, 28-20 in 2016, and 28-17 in 2017 in Heber Springs, and 36-34 last season in Clinton. Heber Springs will be looking to break a three-game losing streak to Clinton.

GETTING YOU READY FOR GAMEDAY LINKS

JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL

Panthers fall in opener

Heber Springs’ Kenan Sneed leads the Panthers onto the field Thursday night against Clinton. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

SEVENTH-GRADE FOOTBALL

Panther Cubs win at Clinton

Heber Springs quarterback Liam Buffalo looks to get around the edge against Clinton in seventh-grade football action on Thursday in Clinton. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

PANTHER SPORTS THIS WEEK

  • Saturday, September 7 – Volleyball at Cave City tournament
  • Monday, September 9 – Volleyball at Conway Christian, 4:30 p.m.
  • Monday, September 9 – Golf at Cypress Creek, 1 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 10 – Cross Country hosts Josh Park Memorial
  • Tuesday, September 10 – Tennis hosts Pottsville, 3:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – Golf at Red Apple Inn, 1 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – Tennis at Clarksville, 3:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – Volleyball at Clarksville, 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, September 12 – 7th-Grade Football at Harding Academy, 5:30
  • Thursday, September 12 – Junior Football at Harding Academy, 7 p.m.
  • Friday, September 13 – Senior Football at Greenbrier, 7 p.m.

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Citywide pep rally held in Heber Springs

September 3, 2019

Heber Springs football coach Will Cox speaks to the crowd on Tuesday at citywide pep rally held at Cowboy Chevrolet in Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
The Heber Springs senior high cheerleaders sing along to the school’s alma mater at the conclusion of a citywide pep rally held at Cowboy Chevrolet in Heber Springs on Tuesday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Heber Springs senior Landon Johnson speaks at the citywide pep rally held on Tuesday at Cowboy Chevrolet in Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Vilonia tops Heber Springs in Benefit Scrimmage

4A Panthers battle 5A Eagles; Heber Springs opens with Clinton

Heber Springs junior Matthew Cook fights for yardage as Vilonia’s Kyle Vines brings him to the ground during a scrimmage at Phillip D. Weaver Stadium in Vilonia on Tuesday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

August 27, 2019

By Philip Seaton

VILONIA – Unofficially it was a 21-7 first-team loss to Vilonia in an Arkansas Activities Association benefit scrimmage on Tuesday at Phillip D. Weaver Stadium, but for Heber Springs coach Will Cox, he saw enough to come away happy with his teams performance.

“I thought there were some bright spots,” Cox said.  “We saw some guys step up and play.”

Heber Springs finished with 202 yards of total offense in an abbreviated first half of play that saw the teams start at the 30-yard line without any kickoffs or punts.

Panther senior quarterback Adam Martin was 14-of-24 passing for 155 yards including a 7-yard touchdown pass to junior Matthew Cook right before the half to put the Panthers on the board. Returning all-conference performer Tri Johnson was Martin’s favorite target with five receptions for 84 yards.

With all-state running back Blaze Nelson and his 2,000 yards plus rushing gone from last season, senior Landon Johnson took on the bulk of the load rushing eight times for 40 yards.

“You know what you are going to get with Landon,” Cox said. “The effort you get on game day is the same effort you get every day. He’s a guy that worked out twice every day during the offseason. You know what you are going to get with him. He’s really reliable and he showed everybody else what we know about him.”

While there were some bright spots, there were some things that Cox said his team needed to work on before they open their season against Clinton on Sept. 6 at home in the Battle of the Little Red.

Among those were some dropped passes that could have led to touchdowns and missed blocks on offense, and some missed tackles and bad angles on defense that lead to Vilonia pilling up 319 yards of total offense with the majority of those coming on a screen pass that turned into a 97-yard touchdown.

“It was a lot of first opponent mistakes, but that is stuff that we can clean up” Cox said. “I told the guys that this is going to be great film for us.We are going to learn a lot from this film. It was a great opportunity to learn tonight.”

Vilonia sophomore quarterback Austin Myers was 9-of-10 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns.

“That’s a very good Vilonia team,” Cox said of the 5A Eagles. “They are deep. They are big. They are going to have a good season. Our guys competed against them.”

SECOND HALF: The two teams played a 10 minute second-half period with the second teams. Vilonia outscored Heber Springs, 20-0, over that stretch, but senior running back Levy Phillips did show some promise during that stretch. 

“(He) came in and got some good runs for us,” Cox said, “that shows that we have some depth at the running back position which is good.”

LET’S PLAY TWO: Cox said that is exciting to see that his team loves to love to play. “They can’t get enough,” he said. “ If I could let them play another game tonight, they would.”

BIG NUMBERS: While Heber Springs has 43 players on the roster, Vilonia had 83 dressed out Tuesday night and that will be the most any team dresses out against the Panthers this season. Heber Springs has the third most players out in the 4A-2 with Southside Batesville leading the way with 51 and Bald Knob with 44. Other opponents by the numbers: Clinton (37), Greenbrier (61), Harding Academy (46), Lonoke (37), Stuttgart (37), Central Arkansas Christian (40), Riverview (33) and Little Rock Mills (20).

NO CONTACT: Both quarterbacks were off limits in regards to being tackled and were downed by touch. Martin and second-team quarterback John McBroome wore a red no contact jersey.

EXTRA POINT: Jackson Harrod connected on the lone extra point for Heber Springs. The Panthers will be looking to replace the graduate Julian Cameron, who connected on a state record 100 extra points. Cameron is battling for a starting position at Arkansas Tech.

NEW COACH: Will Cox was named interim head coach over the summer after former head coach Darren Gowen left at the end of the school year in the spring to pursue other opportunities in northwest Arkansas. Gowen has since been named the offensive coordinator at Gravette. Cox was co-defensive coordinator last season with E.G. Dew.

NEW ASSISTANTS: Former Greenbrier Panther Chase Roberts is the new junior high coach and will assist on the senior high team. Roberts was the head coach of the eight-man team at Pattonsburg (Missouri) High School last season. Roberts led his team to a 10-2 record last season. Also joining the staff is Hunter Davis. Davis coached at Star City last season. He will also be the head senior girls track coach. 

NEXT YEAR: Heber Springs’ 2020 schedule has been set. Riverview is moving down to Class 3A while Clinton will be moving back up to 4A. The Yellowjackets will replace Riverview in week 9 in conference. The Panthers will open at home in 2020 against Newport followed by a road date at Harding Academy before wrapping up nonconference play at home against Dover. Heber Springs athletic director Brad Reese said he attempted to schedule Riverview for a nonconference date but the Searcy school opted for a game with Bauxite instead.

GLOWING REVIEW: Former Heber Springs coach Bill Buckner made an appearance on the sidelines on Tuesday night to catch some of the action. Buckner, who has since retired after years of coaching in the area with stops at Quitman, Greenbrier and Vilonia among others, was impressed with what he saw from the Panthers. “Tell the people of Heber Springs that they have a good football team,” he said.

Heber Springs senior quarterback Adam Martin looks to complete a pass against Vilonia in a Arkansas Activities Association benefit game at Phillip D. Weaver Stadium in Vilonia. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

PANTHER DRIVES

OPENING DRIVE: 10 plays, 36 yards. Highlights: Adam Martin 10-yard run, Landon Johnson 14- and 13-yard runs. Result: Turnover on downs.

SECOND DRIVE: 10 plays, 68 yards. Highlights: Adam Martin to Tri Johnson for 34-yard completion. Result: Stopped on fourth-and-goal at the 1.

THIRD DRIVE: 5 plays, 20 yards. Result: Fictional punt.

FOURTH DRIVE: 10 plays, 70 yards: Highlights: Adam Martin to Landon Johnson for 12- and 25-yard pass completions. Result: Touchdown.

INDIVIDUAL STATS (First-half only)

Rushing: Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 8-40; Julie Rubio 5-5; Adam Martin 5-2. Vilonia, Draven Smith 7-43; Seth Kick 1-5; Austin Myers 1-3; Tyler Moran 1-2.

Passing: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 14-24-155-1-0. Vilonia, Austin Myers 9-10-266-3-0.

Receiving: Heber Springs, Tri Johnson 5-84; Landon Johnson 3-45; Matthew Cook 3-13-1; Landon Barbee 1-8; Nathan McKee 1-6; Hunter Kent 1-(-1). Vilonia, Tyler Moran 4-127-1; Jamison Hinsley 2-40-1; Kannon Bartlett 1-45; Draven Smith 1-38; Corbin Watson 1-24-1.

TEAM (First-half only)

Rushing: Heber Springs 18-47; Vilonia 10-53

Passing: Heber Springs, 14-24-155-1-0; Vilonia 9-10-266-3-0

Total Yards: Heber Springs 202, Vilonia 319

First Downs: Heber Springs 11, Vilonia 8

Turnovers: Heber Springs 0, Vilonia 1

Penalties: Heber Springs 1-5; Vilonia 4-50