By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
The skies above Little Rock Air Force Base this weekend will be slashed with more blue and filled with gold as the Navy’s Blue Angels jets and the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team headline the entertainment for the thousands expected to attend this year’s air show.
The Golden Knights will perform at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Blue Angels will fly in formation at 3:30 p.m. today and Sunday.
Gates will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 4:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free and open to the public.
The Blue Angels will be featured for the second time in two years. The group of F/A-18 Hornet pilots will demonstrate precision and grace while averaging 400 miles per hour and pulling seven G’s.
The group will perform aerobatic maneuvers, such as a four-plane diamond formation, while at the same time, two solo planes perform movements of their own. Another maneuver the Blue Angels will perform is their famous, tight six-jet delta formation.
Capt. Kevin Mannix, piloting the No. 1 plane, is a native of Lindenhurst, N.Y., and has spent 22 years in the Navy. He was a commanding officer in Japan before being chosen to command the Blue Angels.
“I get a smile in seeing the audience’s faces when they see what the military is capable of. Having traveled the country with the tour has renewed my faith in their patriotism. It’s amazing how supportive Americans are of their military. It is impressive,” said Mannix on Friday.
Mannix, whose tour ends in November, said, “My biggest fear is retiring and having to get a real job for a living.”
Piloting the No. 4 Blue Angels plane is Maj. Clint Harris of the Marine Corps. Harris is originally from Senath, Mo., and went to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, graduating in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing technology.
“I have always had an interest in flying and always wanted to be a pilot. In college I learned of a program that would allow me to be a pilot in the Marine Corps,” said Harris.
“It takes an average of 10 years to gain the experience needed to become a Blue Angels pilot,” Harris continued. “We apply to the Blue Angels and are chosen from our aviation skills and a desire to become a career-oriented officer.
“The best part of being a part of the Blue Angels is having a positive influence to teens and adults across the U.S.,” said Harris.
After his two-year tour ends in November, Harris said he will be stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., assuming the duties of an infantry officer.
During the air show season, the Blue Angels have seven pilots who are stationed at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. During the winter months, the planes are stationed at the Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.
The Blue Angels have flown in the F/A-18 Hornets for 21 years. The group has performed since 1946. They serve to represent the Navy and Marine Corps and enhance recruiting.
Another main attraction at the air show is the Army’s Golden Knights skydivers. The skydivers, based at Fort Bragg, N.C., have been jumping out of planes and entertaining audiences at air shows for more than 44 years. The parachute teams will jump out of a plane and free-fall reaching speeds up to 120 mph. The team will be performing aerial movements and formations before landing on a specified target.
The Golden Knights will have 10 people performing this weekend, including Master Sgt. Khalida Hendricks, who is one of five women in the entire Golden Knights program.
Hendricks, originally from Los Alamos, N.M., has been with the Army for 11 years and is trained in military intelligence and has paratrooper experience.
“I was an airborne paratrooper in 1997. The next year I went with my best friend on a free-fall jump from an airplane at a skydiving school in California,” said Hendricks.
In 2006, Hendricks went to the Golden Knights selection-and-assessment program. She became a member of the Golden Knights the following year. She is currently on a three-year tour.
“Jumping out of the plane is the most free experience you will ever have. When you first start out you get nervous. But after a while all you can think about is how fun it is,” Hendricks said.
“I have 1,280 free-fall jumps in my career,” Hendricks added.
Also soaring in the air will be the Trojan Horsemen; the T-28 Warbird formation and acrobatics team; the Viper West F-16 demonstration team; the C-17; Fat Albert Airlines, and the Air Force’s Air Combat Command Heritage Flight. Mike Rinker of Elkins will pilot Pink Floyd, an SU-26 aircraft, and the Disabled American Veterans’ B-52, Special Delivery will also be there.
The air base’s own C-130 aircraft crews will show what the planes do in combat: paratroopers will jump in a display of military power and crews will drop heavy equipment and other cargo.
Five solid hours of flying and military-related entertainment will be available at the open house. There will also be static displays of military aircraft and the crews who fly them.
Souvenir, food and information booths will be available.
All visitors and their vehicles will be subject to search. No coolers, pets or backpacks are allowed at the open house. Due to limited parking, RVs will not be allowed on base.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
SPORTS>>It’s Wildcats vs. Eagles in battle for first place
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
It may be the most critical contest of the regular season and a conference title may be on the line, but Harding Academy coach Roddy Mote is treating this week’s battle with Mayflower as just another game on the schedule.
The undefeated Wildcats have faced few challenges in outscoring their opponents 231-86 on their way to a 6-0 start. Their season-opening 30-15 win over Pocahontas may have come as close as any to providing even a hint of drama.
But a challenge awaits this Friday night at First Security Stadium. Mayflower brings a 5-game winning streak and a 3-0 record in the 2-3A Conference into the game. The Eagles (5-1 overall) have nearly identical numbers to the Wildcats in outscoring their foes 235-89.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Wildcats are coming off another ho-hum 39-14 road win over previously unbeaten Barton, while Mayflower dispatched Rose Bud, 60-16, last Friday. Harding Academy and Mayflower sit atop the conference standings so first place will be on the line.
“We’re going to practice and prepare like we’ve done every week,” Mote said. “The game may have great implications, but we’re treating it like it’s the Week 7 game. This game won’t define our season.”
That said, Mote recognizes that the Eagles present an array of challenges no other foe has through the first six weeks. It all starts with DeShaun Bagby, a speedy tailback, who ran for 134 yards on just five carries against Rose Bud. He also caught three passes totaling 127 yards and two touchdowns. But to focus on Bagby is to allow all the other Mayflower weapons to do significant damage.
The Eagles run out of the Spread behind junior quarterback Jordan Dycus, who split time at the position last season. His emergence has made the difference from last year’s 7-5 club, according to Mote.
“That I think sets them apart from last year, is their quarterback play,” he said. “He runs the offense so well and he can throw and run.”
Harding Academy beat the Eagles 34-14 a year ago.
When Dycus isn’t handing off or dumping passes to Bagby, he’ll either be giving the ball to 270-pound fullback Gavin Pace or looking for senior wide receiver John Dale Willis. And all of this takes place behind a massive offensive line, which features as many as five players over 260 pounds.
And they’re a veteran team with nearly 25 seniors.
Mote said he’s not concerned that his team has yet to face a squad this big and this fast all season.
“We played a full game against Pocahontas,” he said. “Arkansas Baptist was with us for about three quarters. But going into the fourth quarter, we’ve felt we were in control in all of our games.
“But I can’t control the success of our opponents, or how much they’ve struggled. I just challenge our kids to compete the best they can from week to week.”
While Mote said he’s been pleased with the energy and enthusiasm his team has displayed this year, they’ve also maintained an even keel emotionally. That could be a factor when the Wildcats face such a high-quality opponent.
But for all the focus on Mayflower’s weaponry, the Wildcats’ offense, composed of a lot of new faces this season, has been every bit as impressive behind sophomore quarterback Seth Keese, who has completed 21 of his last 26 passes for 351 yards and six touchdowns. And running back Ty Finley has emerged as a potent running threat in his first season as a feature back.
Finley rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns last week. Mote said offseason work has made all the difference.
“Ty has been phenomenal in the weight room and that’s what’s separated him from last year,” Mote said. “It’s evident to anybody that looks at him. He’s a lot stronger and is running with a lot more confidence. He’s been a great leader for us, too.”
Mote, in his first year at the helm, said the 6-0 start is not a surprise.
“We had high expectations,” he said. “We always have high expectations here. We felt at the first of the year that the important thing was to get the kids in the right place, do the little things right and pay attention to details. That’s what we’ve done.”
Everyone is expected to play on Friday, though Keese continues to suffer from an ankle injury he suffered against England.
Wide receiver and backup quarterback Matt Lincoln is coming along from a shoulder injury, though is not at 100 percent.
Leader sports editor
It may be the most critical contest of the regular season and a conference title may be on the line, but Harding Academy coach Roddy Mote is treating this week’s battle with Mayflower as just another game on the schedule.
The undefeated Wildcats have faced few challenges in outscoring their opponents 231-86 on their way to a 6-0 start. Their season-opening 30-15 win over Pocahontas may have come as close as any to providing even a hint of drama.
But a challenge awaits this Friday night at First Security Stadium. Mayflower brings a 5-game winning streak and a 3-0 record in the 2-3A Conference into the game. The Eagles (5-1 overall) have nearly identical numbers to the Wildcats in outscoring their foes 235-89.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Wildcats are coming off another ho-hum 39-14 road win over previously unbeaten Barton, while Mayflower dispatched Rose Bud, 60-16, last Friday. Harding Academy and Mayflower sit atop the conference standings so first place will be on the line.
“We’re going to practice and prepare like we’ve done every week,” Mote said. “The game may have great implications, but we’re treating it like it’s the Week 7 game. This game won’t define our season.”
That said, Mote recognizes that the Eagles present an array of challenges no other foe has through the first six weeks. It all starts with DeShaun Bagby, a speedy tailback, who ran for 134 yards on just five carries against Rose Bud. He also caught three passes totaling 127 yards and two touchdowns. But to focus on Bagby is to allow all the other Mayflower weapons to do significant damage.
The Eagles run out of the Spread behind junior quarterback Jordan Dycus, who split time at the position last season. His emergence has made the difference from last year’s 7-5 club, according to Mote.
“That I think sets them apart from last year, is their quarterback play,” he said. “He runs the offense so well and he can throw and run.”
Harding Academy beat the Eagles 34-14 a year ago.
When Dycus isn’t handing off or dumping passes to Bagby, he’ll either be giving the ball to 270-pound fullback Gavin Pace or looking for senior wide receiver John Dale Willis. And all of this takes place behind a massive offensive line, which features as many as five players over 260 pounds.
And they’re a veteran team with nearly 25 seniors.
Mote said he’s not concerned that his team has yet to face a squad this big and this fast all season.
“We played a full game against Pocahontas,” he said. “Arkansas Baptist was with us for about three quarters. But going into the fourth quarter, we’ve felt we were in control in all of our games.
“But I can’t control the success of our opponents, or how much they’ve struggled. I just challenge our kids to compete the best they can from week to week.”
While Mote said he’s been pleased with the energy and enthusiasm his team has displayed this year, they’ve also maintained an even keel emotionally. That could be a factor when the Wildcats face such a high-quality opponent.
But for all the focus on Mayflower’s weaponry, the Wildcats’ offense, composed of a lot of new faces this season, has been every bit as impressive behind sophomore quarterback Seth Keese, who has completed 21 of his last 26 passes for 351 yards and six touchdowns. And running back Ty Finley has emerged as a potent running threat in his first season as a feature back.
Finley rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns last week. Mote said offseason work has made all the difference.
“Ty has been phenomenal in the weight room and that’s what’s separated him from last year,” Mote said. “It’s evident to anybody that looks at him. He’s a lot stronger and is running with a lot more confidence. He’s been a great leader for us, too.”
Mote, in his first year at the helm, said the 6-0 start is not a surprise.
“We had high expectations,” he said. “We always have high expectations here. We felt at the first of the year that the important thing was to get the kids in the right place, do the little things right and pay attention to details. That’s what we’ve done.”
Everyone is expected to play on Friday, though Keese continues to suffer from an ankle injury he suffered against England.
Wide receiver and backup quarterback Matt Lincoln is coming along from a shoulder injury, though is not at 100 percent.
SPORTS>>Bears back home to face North Pulaski
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Has Sylvan Hills found an identity six weeks into the season?
Head coach Jim Withrow seems to think so, and two consectutive wins would seem to suggest it.
The Bears got a dramatic win over Crossett last Friday night when Tanner Janssen booted a 27-yard field goal with four seconds remaining as Sylvan Hills remained very much alive in the hunt for one of the four playoff berths from the 5A-Southeast.
“That win ought to give us a lot of confidence,” said Withrow, whose Bears improved to 3-3, 2-1 in league play. “The plays we were messing up on early in the season, now weconvert them. We’re kind of maturing a bit.”
That maturation process was evident when the Bears didn’t panic after a long Crossett pass put the Eagles up 13-12 with four minutes left in the contest. Sylvan Hills marched nearly 70 yards, converting a third and long and a fourth and three along the way to set up Janssen’s game-winner.
On the other side of the football from Sylvan Hills this Friday night will be a team whose season began with lots of hope. Most of that has faded in the face of North Pulaski’s 5-game losing streak. The Falcons played a solid second half against White Hall last Friday night but were once again bitten by the big-play bug in falling 31-17.
“North Pulaski may be 0-3,” Withrow said, “but they’ve been close in a lot of games. They got a big fullback and a huge offensive line. They play hard on defense and they’ve got one of the better athletes in our conference in (Jerald Blair). They are more than capable of winning.”
Kickoff at Bill Blackwood Field is 7 p.m.
After beginning the season in the shotgun — with often dismal results — Sylvan Hills has gone into a split-back look with junior quarterback Jordan Spears now under center.
The result: Lawrence Hodges has rushed for 246 yards and Juliean Broner 220 the past two weeks.
“It’s been really big for both of those guys (for us to settle on an offense),” Withrow said. “I mean JuJu (Broner) has been a big part of it the whole time. Lawrence was trying to get his feet under him, to see where he fit.”
Hodges was forced to play a lot on defense through the first four weeks with middle linebacker Michael Robinson out with an injury. That limited his effectiveness running the ball, especially against the likes of physical 7A defenses Cabot and North Little Rock in consecutive weeks.
“That’s just Lawrence,” Withrow said. “He’s such an unselfish guy, such a team guy. I’m proud of him. He’s coming off a 950-yard rushing season and he might have had reason to wonder. He’s never complained.”
Spears, too, seems to have benefited from the new split-back scheme.
“He likes being in the shotgun, but he realizes he can do a lot more things in split backs,” Withrow said.
Spears threw for 89 yards against Crossett, and rushed for 52 more, giving the Bears a balanced attack that Withrow’s been looking for.
After falling quickly behind 15-0 to White Hall last week, North Pulaski battled back to narrow the margin to 23-17 in the third quarter. The Falcon defense forced three consecutive punts from the Bulldogs, but could never push the go-ahead score across. White Hall finally put it away with a late touchdown.
The Falcons will bring their huge offensive line, led by 350-pounders Cliff Copeland and Carlos Donley into the contest, as well as big running back Darius Cage and Billy Barron.
But the undersized Bears have faced big teams before in Cabot, North Little Rock and White Hall, so it will be nothing new to them.
“We’ve climbed Pinnacle Mountain,” Withrow said with a wry laugh. “Now were getting ready to climb the Himilayas, I guess.”
The Bears’ defense is surrendering only 15 points a game, and Withrow gives a lot of the credit to a quick front line and the schemes of defensive coordinator Johnny Rice.
“He has them in good position and they’re blitzing and stunting on every down. We put the house and the car down on the line every play.”
Leader sports editor
Has Sylvan Hills found an identity six weeks into the season?
Head coach Jim Withrow seems to think so, and two consectutive wins would seem to suggest it.
The Bears got a dramatic win over Crossett last Friday night when Tanner Janssen booted a 27-yard field goal with four seconds remaining as Sylvan Hills remained very much alive in the hunt for one of the four playoff berths from the 5A-Southeast.
“That win ought to give us a lot of confidence,” said Withrow, whose Bears improved to 3-3, 2-1 in league play. “The plays we were messing up on early in the season, now weconvert them. We’re kind of maturing a bit.”
That maturation process was evident when the Bears didn’t panic after a long Crossett pass put the Eagles up 13-12 with four minutes left in the contest. Sylvan Hills marched nearly 70 yards, converting a third and long and a fourth and three along the way to set up Janssen’s game-winner.
On the other side of the football from Sylvan Hills this Friday night will be a team whose season began with lots of hope. Most of that has faded in the face of North Pulaski’s 5-game losing streak. The Falcons played a solid second half against White Hall last Friday night but were once again bitten by the big-play bug in falling 31-17.
“North Pulaski may be 0-3,” Withrow said, “but they’ve been close in a lot of games. They got a big fullback and a huge offensive line. They play hard on defense and they’ve got one of the better athletes in our conference in (Jerald Blair). They are more than capable of winning.”
Kickoff at Bill Blackwood Field is 7 p.m.
After beginning the season in the shotgun — with often dismal results — Sylvan Hills has gone into a split-back look with junior quarterback Jordan Spears now under center.
The result: Lawrence Hodges has rushed for 246 yards and Juliean Broner 220 the past two weeks.
“It’s been really big for both of those guys (for us to settle on an offense),” Withrow said. “I mean JuJu (Broner) has been a big part of it the whole time. Lawrence was trying to get his feet under him, to see where he fit.”
Hodges was forced to play a lot on defense through the first four weeks with middle linebacker Michael Robinson out with an injury. That limited his effectiveness running the ball, especially against the likes of physical 7A defenses Cabot and North Little Rock in consecutive weeks.
“That’s just Lawrence,” Withrow said. “He’s such an unselfish guy, such a team guy. I’m proud of him. He’s coming off a 950-yard rushing season and he might have had reason to wonder. He’s never complained.”
Spears, too, seems to have benefited from the new split-back scheme.
“He likes being in the shotgun, but he realizes he can do a lot more things in split backs,” Withrow said.
Spears threw for 89 yards against Crossett, and rushed for 52 more, giving the Bears a balanced attack that Withrow’s been looking for.
After falling quickly behind 15-0 to White Hall last week, North Pulaski battled back to narrow the margin to 23-17 in the third quarter. The Falcon defense forced three consecutive punts from the Bulldogs, but could never push the go-ahead score across. White Hall finally put it away with a late touchdown.
The Falcons will bring their huge offensive line, led by 350-pounders Cliff Copeland and Carlos Donley into the contest, as well as big running back Darius Cage and Billy Barron.
But the undersized Bears have faced big teams before in Cabot, North Little Rock and White Hall, so it will be nothing new to them.
“We’ve climbed Pinnacle Mountain,” Withrow said with a wry laugh. “Now were getting ready to climb the Himilayas, I guess.”
The Bears’ defense is surrendering only 15 points a game, and Withrow gives a lot of the credit to a quick front line and the schemes of defensive coordinator Johnny Rice.
“He has them in good position and they’re blitzing and stunting on every down. We put the house and the car down on the line every play.”
SPORTS>>Panthers not looking past winless Central
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The fact that Little Rock Central is winless through the first six weeks of the season doesn’t provide much comfort for Mike Malham this week. The head Cabot Panther is still leery about the Tigers.
Cabot (5-1, 2-1 in the 7A Central) will travel to historic Quigley Stadium this week to face a surprisingly 0-6 Little Rock Central. The Tigers were picked as high as second in the league in some preseason polls, but are so far 0-3 in league play.
The Tigers, though, have lost those games by a total of only 25 points. Last week’s 16-0 shutout at the hands of Conway was their biggest loss since beginning their Central Conference schedule.
The Central offense has struggled for the most part with only 39 points to show six weeks into the season. But the defense concerns Malham — that and a recent history lesson from a year ago.
“They’re playing pretty good defense,” Malham said. “They’ve got some good athletes. And if you want to talk about a team not winning a game, I remember a 0-7-1 Pine Bluff team that came in here and beat us last year. So if you think you’re going to get a win just because someone hasn’t won yet, you may be in trouble. You better get ready.”
As far as the Panther defense, last week’s 34-21 score against North Little Rock is actually somewhat misleading. Two of the Wildcats’ scores came in the final two minutes against a prevent defense that Malham admitted may have been a little bit too aggressive.
“They got two quick ones on us,” Malhamsaid. “But I thought that overall we did a pretty good job on defense. They defended the pass well, which is something we’re going to have to do well if we get to the playoffs. The more good athletes we go up against, the better we’re going to be down the stretch.”
The Wildcats amassed over 400 yards of total offense. However, 155 of those yards came in the final minute-and-a-half frenzy. The Panther ‘D’ also allowed 323 yards passing by NLR quarterback David Hope. Two weeks ago, the Panthers gave up 35 points to Little Rock Catholic in their lone loss.
“We were pleased, but we didn’t do a good job in the last minute,” Malham said.
The Dead-T offensive attack has been on cue the past two weeks. The Panthers had more success on the ground last week, amassing 349 yards of offense, all but eight of which came on rushing plays.
“Our offensive line did a real good job of controlling things,” Malham said. “They (NLR) had only given up four touchdowns in the last five games. They posted a shutout on Texarkana and held Sylvan Hills under a touchdown, so our line did good to control the line of scrimmage the way it did.”
The Rockets stayed on top of the league standings last week with a 47-21 win over Van Buren, but with four more games left, Malham said every point counts.
“If it came down to a three-way tie, it could be important,” Malham said. “You just have to take it one game at a time and put yourself in the best position you can. But if we could win all of the games left by 13 or more, it would definitely help us.”
Leader sportswriter
The fact that Little Rock Central is winless through the first six weeks of the season doesn’t provide much comfort for Mike Malham this week. The head Cabot Panther is still leery about the Tigers.
Cabot (5-1, 2-1 in the 7A Central) will travel to historic Quigley Stadium this week to face a surprisingly 0-6 Little Rock Central. The Tigers were picked as high as second in the league in some preseason polls, but are so far 0-3 in league play.
The Tigers, though, have lost those games by a total of only 25 points. Last week’s 16-0 shutout at the hands of Conway was their biggest loss since beginning their Central Conference schedule.
The Central offense has struggled for the most part with only 39 points to show six weeks into the season. But the defense concerns Malham — that and a recent history lesson from a year ago.
“They’re playing pretty good defense,” Malham said. “They’ve got some good athletes. And if you want to talk about a team not winning a game, I remember a 0-7-1 Pine Bluff team that came in here and beat us last year. So if you think you’re going to get a win just because someone hasn’t won yet, you may be in trouble. You better get ready.”
As far as the Panther defense, last week’s 34-21 score against North Little Rock is actually somewhat misleading. Two of the Wildcats’ scores came in the final two minutes against a prevent defense that Malham admitted may have been a little bit too aggressive.
“They got two quick ones on us,” Malhamsaid. “But I thought that overall we did a pretty good job on defense. They defended the pass well, which is something we’re going to have to do well if we get to the playoffs. The more good athletes we go up against, the better we’re going to be down the stretch.”
The Wildcats amassed over 400 yards of total offense. However, 155 of those yards came in the final minute-and-a-half frenzy. The Panther ‘D’ also allowed 323 yards passing by NLR quarterback David Hope. Two weeks ago, the Panthers gave up 35 points to Little Rock Catholic in their lone loss.
“We were pleased, but we didn’t do a good job in the last minute,” Malham said.
The Dead-T offensive attack has been on cue the past two weeks. The Panthers had more success on the ground last week, amassing 349 yards of offense, all but eight of which came on rushing plays.
“Our offensive line did a real good job of controlling things,” Malham said. “They (NLR) had only given up four touchdowns in the last five games. They posted a shutout on Texarkana and held Sylvan Hills under a touchdown, so our line did good to control the line of scrimmage the way it did.”
The Rockets stayed on top of the league standings last week with a 47-21 win over Van Buren, but with four more games left, Malham said every point counts.
“If it came down to a three-way tie, it could be important,” Malham said. “You just have to take it one game at a time and put yourself in the best position you can. But if we could win all of the games left by 13 or more, it would definitely help us.”
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
SPORTS>>Devils try for second straight
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Friday night will be homecoming at Jan Crow Stadium for the Jacksonville Red Devils when they host Searcy. The Lions (1-5, 0-3) got their only win of the season against Jacksonville last year at their homecoming, and Red Devils coach Mark Whatley is hoping that history won’t repeat itself.
“I hope it opens our eyes to the fact that you have to be ready every Friday,” Whatley said. “Last year proved that. Hopefully we’ve learned from it.”
The Red Devils (3-3, 2-1) made it back to the .500 mark for the season and captured their second 6A-East Conference win with a 27-8 win over Little Rock Hall. The struggling Warriors kept things close until the third quarter when a big defensive stand that resulted in a big loss of yardage for Hall seemed to inject some motivation into Jacksonville. Corey Bester’s back-to-back stuffs of backup Hall quarterback Ricky Thomas moved the ball from just outside the red zone to midfield, and Hall never threatened again.
“When Corey got those two huge plays, it kind of flipped the field for us,” Whatley said. “We want big plays to inspire us, but what we don’t want to do is wait until the third quarter to see it. We want to be fired up by the time we get off the bus.”
Searcy coach Bart McFarland remembers last year’s win but also knows that Whatley and the Red Devils remember for completely different reasons.
“I know Jacksonville and coach Whatley will be after us. They haven’t forgot about it,” McFarland said. “The kids’ morale is still good, and we should have two or three of our starters back. We hope we can put it all together this week.”
A Week 3 win over Fair has been the only success for the Lions to this point. They have had a difficult start to their East schedule, including a pair of big shutout losses to Parkview and West Memphis the last two weeks.
Still, McFarland remains optimistic.
“One day at a time, one game at a time, one week at a time,” McFarland said. “That’s where we’re going from here. We don’t even think about that, we just want to get better every day.”
A second look at the win over Hall gave Whatley a little more optimism than his initial thoughts on the game. He said the team is not that outwardly emotional, but despite the lack of rah-rah type spirit, the desire to make plays is undoubtedly there.
“You try to address it,” Whatley said. “But looking back at the Hall game, we didn’t play all that bad. Maybe it’s just this team’s temperament, but there wasn’t a lot of urgency and passion. We were in control for the whole game I felt like, we just couldn’t separate from them.”
Sophomore quarterback Logan Perry put up decent numbers last week with 13 completions on 23 tries, good for 145 yards. He found senior Terrell Brown in the end zone for a late touchdown, but it was the running game of Patrick Geans, Keith Rodgers and Bester that seemed to wear down the Warrior defense.
“They ended up pressing our inside receivers, which made us rely on the running game a little more,” Whatley said. “We had 26 passes and 35 rushes, so it was pretty balanced for us. We were just tickled to put it in the end zone the times that we did.”
A 64-0 loss like the one Searcy took at the hands of the league-leading Blue Devils is always hard for any coach to take. For McFarland, not seeing maximum effort on every play was just as frustrating as the numbers on the scoreboard.
“It’s been tough on the kids,” McFarland said. “But we need to fight more, and play every play. We didn’t do that against West Memphis. We didn’t give our best on every down, and that’s what is disappointing.”
The pomp and circumstance of JHS homecoming is fine with Whatley, as long as his team is able to focus on the actual task at hand.
“My biggest concern is how everything prior to Friday affects us,” Whatley said. “We need to have our rest and keep our routine, and know that it’s time to play a football game. Hopefully, we’re mature enough to do that.”
Leader sportswriter
Friday night will be homecoming at Jan Crow Stadium for the Jacksonville Red Devils when they host Searcy. The Lions (1-5, 0-3) got their only win of the season against Jacksonville last year at their homecoming, and Red Devils coach Mark Whatley is hoping that history won’t repeat itself.
“I hope it opens our eyes to the fact that you have to be ready every Friday,” Whatley said. “Last year proved that. Hopefully we’ve learned from it.”
The Red Devils (3-3, 2-1) made it back to the .500 mark for the season and captured their second 6A-East Conference win with a 27-8 win over Little Rock Hall. The struggling Warriors kept things close until the third quarter when a big defensive stand that resulted in a big loss of yardage for Hall seemed to inject some motivation into Jacksonville. Corey Bester’s back-to-back stuffs of backup Hall quarterback Ricky Thomas moved the ball from just outside the red zone to midfield, and Hall never threatened again.
“When Corey got those two huge plays, it kind of flipped the field for us,” Whatley said. “We want big plays to inspire us, but what we don’t want to do is wait until the third quarter to see it. We want to be fired up by the time we get off the bus.”
Searcy coach Bart McFarland remembers last year’s win but also knows that Whatley and the Red Devils remember for completely different reasons.
“I know Jacksonville and coach Whatley will be after us. They haven’t forgot about it,” McFarland said. “The kids’ morale is still good, and we should have two or three of our starters back. We hope we can put it all together this week.”
A Week 3 win over Fair has been the only success for the Lions to this point. They have had a difficult start to their East schedule, including a pair of big shutout losses to Parkview and West Memphis the last two weeks.
Still, McFarland remains optimistic.
“One day at a time, one game at a time, one week at a time,” McFarland said. “That’s where we’re going from here. We don’t even think about that, we just want to get better every day.”
A second look at the win over Hall gave Whatley a little more optimism than his initial thoughts on the game. He said the team is not that outwardly emotional, but despite the lack of rah-rah type spirit, the desire to make plays is undoubtedly there.
“You try to address it,” Whatley said. “But looking back at the Hall game, we didn’t play all that bad. Maybe it’s just this team’s temperament, but there wasn’t a lot of urgency and passion. We were in control for the whole game I felt like, we just couldn’t separate from them.”
Sophomore quarterback Logan Perry put up decent numbers last week with 13 completions on 23 tries, good for 145 yards. He found senior Terrell Brown in the end zone for a late touchdown, but it was the running game of Patrick Geans, Keith Rodgers and Bester that seemed to wear down the Warrior defense.
“They ended up pressing our inside receivers, which made us rely on the running game a little more,” Whatley said. “We had 26 passes and 35 rushes, so it was pretty balanced for us. We were just tickled to put it in the end zone the times that we did.”
A 64-0 loss like the one Searcy took at the hands of the league-leading Blue Devils is always hard for any coach to take. For McFarland, not seeing maximum effort on every play was just as frustrating as the numbers on the scoreboard.
“It’s been tough on the kids,” McFarland said. “But we need to fight more, and play every play. We didn’t do that against West Memphis. We didn’t give our best on every down, and that’s what is disappointing.”
The pomp and circumstance of JHS homecoming is fine with Whatley, as long as his team is able to focus on the actual task at hand.
“My biggest concern is how everything prior to Friday affects us,” Whatley said. “We need to have our rest and keep our routine, and know that it’s time to play a football game. Hopefully, we’re mature enough to do that.”
EDITORIAL >>Will Feland is right choice
Gov. Mike Beebe has named former Lonoke County prosecutor Will Feland, a Cabot renaissance man, to serve out the balance of District 23 Prosecuting Attorney Lona McCastlain’s term, which would have ended in December 2010.
McCastlain, who has served as prosecutor for 10 years, has put criminals, corrupt officials and all sorts of troublemakers behind bars. She is leaving Dec. 31 to accompany her husband Bruce, a colonel in the Army National Guard, on an overseas assignment. He serves full-time in the National Guard and was promoted last month from lieutenant colonel to full colonel.
Feland, 56 — lawyer, businessman, minister, accountant, former president of the Cabot Chamber of Commerce and a Lonoke Exceptional School board member — was one of the two people McCastlain had recommended to Beebe as her replacement.
“I couldn’t have been more pleased if I had (picked him) myself,” McCastlain told The Leader last week. “He’s professional and will serve the people well. He did it before and I know he will do it again. I told the governor I’d be leaving the position in good hands,” she added.
Feland served as deputy prosecutor before he was elected for four terms. In 1992, he did not seek reelection, going to seminary instead. Did we say he is pastor of First Christian Church in Sherwood and has a business, Pinnacle Structures, in Cabot? He is also a member of the Arkansas Coalition against Sexual Assault.
McCastlain was a tireless advocate in behalf of battered and sexually abused women and children, and Feland said his office would remain active in prosecuting such cases. The new prosecutor will have a full plate when he takes over: Lonoke County, sometimes known as the meth capital of Arkansas, is huge. There are a couple of murder trials pending and a full docket.
Feland cannot run for the office again in 2010, but till then, he’ll have plenty to do. McCastlain leaves the office in good hands.
Beebe could not have picked a better person for the job.
McCastlain, who has served as prosecutor for 10 years, has put criminals, corrupt officials and all sorts of troublemakers behind bars. She is leaving Dec. 31 to accompany her husband Bruce, a colonel in the Army National Guard, on an overseas assignment. He serves full-time in the National Guard and was promoted last month from lieutenant colonel to full colonel.
Feland, 56 — lawyer, businessman, minister, accountant, former president of the Cabot Chamber of Commerce and a Lonoke Exceptional School board member — was one of the two people McCastlain had recommended to Beebe as her replacement.
“I couldn’t have been more pleased if I had (picked him) myself,” McCastlain told The Leader last week. “He’s professional and will serve the people well. He did it before and I know he will do it again. I told the governor I’d be leaving the position in good hands,” she added.
Feland served as deputy prosecutor before he was elected for four terms. In 1992, he did not seek reelection, going to seminary instead. Did we say he is pastor of First Christian Church in Sherwood and has a business, Pinnacle Structures, in Cabot? He is also a member of the Arkansas Coalition against Sexual Assault.
McCastlain was a tireless advocate in behalf of battered and sexually abused women and children, and Feland said his office would remain active in prosecuting such cases. The new prosecutor will have a full plate when he takes over: Lonoke County, sometimes known as the meth capital of Arkansas, is huge. There are a couple of murder trials pending and a full docket.
Feland cannot run for the office again in 2010, but till then, he’ll have plenty to do. McCastlain leaves the office in good hands.
Beebe could not have picked a better person for the job.
TOP STORY > >McCain hopes stock rally will save candidacy
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader editor-in-chief
The pundits were saying last week that the only way John McCain could win the presidential election was if the stock market went up 3,000 points. Well, who knows?
The financial markets are rallying thanks to the intervention of central banks in the United States and Europe. Wall Street, of course, is hailing the partial nationalization of our banking system — implemented, no less, by a conservative Republican administration that has killed the Reagan revolution much faster than it took to make it happen.
Despite what McCain claims, he was nevera foot soldier in the Reagan revolution, so it’s no sweat off his back, except the meltdown will likely cost him the election.
McCain keeps falling further behind in the polls, and unless he does very well in tonight’s debate — most voters think he lost the first two debates — Barack Obama could win by a substantial margin.
Obama leads in so many states, he could end up with twice as many electoral votes as McCain — 320 against McCain’s 160, according to latest estimates. A candidate needs 270 to win. (See www.pollster.com.)
The lousy economy has benefited Obama and hurt McCain. The base loves Sarah Palin, but she can’t help him on the economic front. Mitt Romney, a successful businessman, would have been an asset as McCain’s running mate. Not choosing Romney, for whatever reason — their incompatibility, Romney’s Mormon religion – is one of the reasons McCain is the underdog, although the campaign has had so many problems, it’s a wonder he’s not further behind.
We had a fine little music festival recently at Wing Ding in Jacksonville. Festival organizers had asked me to invite some blues musicians, and I found a couple of good ones: The harmonica wizard, singer and composer Willie Cobbs from Smale near Brinkley, and showman Robert Bilbo Walker from Clarksdale, Miss., by way of Bakersfield, Calif.
Cobbs was backed up by Maurice Jon Vaughn and his band. The two rehearsed before the show in Vaughn’s van in the motel parking lot while they played Cobbs’ “Jukin’” CD.
Willie sang “Please Send Me Someone to Love,” and I told him it was better than Percy Mayfield’s original, but he said no way. He told me he didn’t have any of Mayfield’s CDs, so later I burned three for him and mailed them to his home.
It was touch and go with Walker, whose pickup broke down in Arizona. He was driving from Bakersfield, and it took him and his band four days to get here in two vehicles.
They arrived in Jacksonville about an hour before showtime. He and his group — he brought along his daughter and niece, who sang with him, and also a guitar player and a drummer — put on their stage outfits at the motel and made it to Dupree Park with 20 minutes to spare.
Walker played an excellent set for 90 minutes, duckwalking across the stage with his guitar like Chuck Berry, only better, because Walker can also walk backwards, which Berry can’t.
The musicians came by the house afterward and had some barbecue. Robert and Willie put on another great show. Vaughn joined them on “Big Boss Man” and “You Don’t Love Me,” which Willie didn’t do at the festival.
They sang “Happy Birthday” to Jessica, our daughter-in-law, and we realized this was how house-rent parties must have been like when musicians dropped by, and the proceeds helped pay the rent, only we felt lucky since our rent wasn’t due yet, so we didn’t have to charge our guests.
Willie called the next day and said he’d been invited to perform at a memorial concert for Duane Allman. The Allman Brothers Band had a hit with “You Don’t Love Me” and they think Willie is one terrific bluesman, which he is.
Leader editor-in-chief
The pundits were saying last week that the only way John McCain could win the presidential election was if the stock market went up 3,000 points. Well, who knows?
The financial markets are rallying thanks to the intervention of central banks in the United States and Europe. Wall Street, of course, is hailing the partial nationalization of our banking system — implemented, no less, by a conservative Republican administration that has killed the Reagan revolution much faster than it took to make it happen.
Despite what McCain claims, he was nevera foot soldier in the Reagan revolution, so it’s no sweat off his back, except the meltdown will likely cost him the election.
McCain keeps falling further behind in the polls, and unless he does very well in tonight’s debate — most voters think he lost the first two debates — Barack Obama could win by a substantial margin.
Obama leads in so many states, he could end up with twice as many electoral votes as McCain — 320 against McCain’s 160, according to latest estimates. A candidate needs 270 to win. (See www.pollster.com.)
The lousy economy has benefited Obama and hurt McCain. The base loves Sarah Palin, but she can’t help him on the economic front. Mitt Romney, a successful businessman, would have been an asset as McCain’s running mate. Not choosing Romney, for whatever reason — their incompatibility, Romney’s Mormon religion – is one of the reasons McCain is the underdog, although the campaign has had so many problems, it’s a wonder he’s not further behind.
We had a fine little music festival recently at Wing Ding in Jacksonville. Festival organizers had asked me to invite some blues musicians, and I found a couple of good ones: The harmonica wizard, singer and composer Willie Cobbs from Smale near Brinkley, and showman Robert Bilbo Walker from Clarksdale, Miss., by way of Bakersfield, Calif.
Cobbs was backed up by Maurice Jon Vaughn and his band. The two rehearsed before the show in Vaughn’s van in the motel parking lot while they played Cobbs’ “Jukin’” CD.
Willie sang “Please Send Me Someone to Love,” and I told him it was better than Percy Mayfield’s original, but he said no way. He told me he didn’t have any of Mayfield’s CDs, so later I burned three for him and mailed them to his home.
It was touch and go with Walker, whose pickup broke down in Arizona. He was driving from Bakersfield, and it took him and his band four days to get here in two vehicles.
They arrived in Jacksonville about an hour before showtime. He and his group — he brought along his daughter and niece, who sang with him, and also a guitar player and a drummer — put on their stage outfits at the motel and made it to Dupree Park with 20 minutes to spare.
Walker played an excellent set for 90 minutes, duckwalking across the stage with his guitar like Chuck Berry, only better, because Walker can also walk backwards, which Berry can’t.
The musicians came by the house afterward and had some barbecue. Robert and Willie put on another great show. Vaughn joined them on “Big Boss Man” and “You Don’t Love Me,” which Willie didn’t do at the festival.
They sang “Happy Birthday” to Jessica, our daughter-in-law, and we realized this was how house-rent parties must have been like when musicians dropped by, and the proceeds helped pay the rent, only we felt lucky since our rent wasn’t due yet, so we didn’t have to charge our guests.
Willie called the next day and said he’d been invited to perform at a memorial concert for Duane Allman. The Allman Brothers Band had a hit with “You Don’t Love Me” and they think Willie is one terrific bluesman, which he is.
TOP STORY > >Democrat challenges White County judge
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
The race for White County judge this year is a rematch between Michael Lincoln, the Republican incumbent, and Democrat Dennis Gillam who ran as an independent two years ago when he lost to Lincoln.
Lincoln said this week that his campaign is going well and voters should give him another two years on the job.
He’s established a good working relationship with other elected officials, business leaders and the public, Lincoln said. And despite bad weather and heavy use by gas company trucks, the roads are in good repair.
His arrangement with the gas companies, he said, is that if they tear up the roads, the county repairs them and the gas companies pay the bills. In somecases, the gas companies even provide part of the labor and material for repairs on gravel roads, he said.
Gillam, a retired business owner, said as he goes door to door talking to county voters, he tells them that he is the candidate with good basic leadership skills and he is the one who will work for economic development that will help the county after the gas-drilling boom is over.
Gillam, who now lives in Judsonia but is a former Beebe resident, does not accept the prevailing belief that you must be a Republican with a Searcy mailing address to be elected White County judge. But he does believe that Searcy gets more attention from that office than it is entitled to. “All our eggs are in one basket in Searcy, but 75 percent of the people live in the rural areas,” Gillam said. “For ex-ample, Beebe is very important economically, but it’s ignored.”
Gillam says tax-free bonds should be used to develop an industrial park and encourage industry to move in so that county residents will still have jobs when the well-drilling has ended.
Lincoln said a company that makes tanks has already moved to White County because of the drilling industry, but will likely stay after drilling ends because gas tanks make up only about 10 percent of the business.
As for offering incentives to bring businesses to the county, Lincoln says he is opposed to that.
“The less government intervention in the private business sector, the better off we are,” Lincoln said.
Leader staff writer
The race for White County judge this year is a rematch between Michael Lincoln, the Republican incumbent, and Democrat Dennis Gillam who ran as an independent two years ago when he lost to Lincoln.
Lincoln said this week that his campaign is going well and voters should give him another two years on the job.
He’s established a good working relationship with other elected officials, business leaders and the public, Lincoln said. And despite bad weather and heavy use by gas company trucks, the roads are in good repair.
His arrangement with the gas companies, he said, is that if they tear up the roads, the county repairs them and the gas companies pay the bills. In somecases, the gas companies even provide part of the labor and material for repairs on gravel roads, he said.
Gillam, a retired business owner, said as he goes door to door talking to county voters, he tells them that he is the candidate with good basic leadership skills and he is the one who will work for economic development that will help the county after the gas-drilling boom is over.
Gillam, who now lives in Judsonia but is a former Beebe resident, does not accept the prevailing belief that you must be a Republican with a Searcy mailing address to be elected White County judge. But he does believe that Searcy gets more attention from that office than it is entitled to. “All our eggs are in one basket in Searcy, but 75 percent of the people live in the rural areas,” Gillam said. “For ex-ample, Beebe is very important economically, but it’s ignored.”
Gillam says tax-free bonds should be used to develop an industrial park and encourage industry to move in so that county residents will still have jobs when the well-drilling has ended.
Lincoln said a company that makes tanks has already moved to White County because of the drilling industry, but will likely stay after drilling ends because gas tanks make up only about 10 percent of the business.
As for offering incentives to bring businesses to the county, Lincoln says he is opposed to that.
“The less government intervention in the private business sector, the better off we are,” Lincoln said.
TOP STORY > >Jacksonville day curfew for juveniles
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Jacksonville has had a nighttime curfew for juveniles for more than 15 years, but now the city wants a daytime curfew, too.
“We want kids in school, and if they are not in school, we don’t want them roaming the streets,” explained City Administrator Jay Whisker.
The proposed ordinance, which will be discussed at the city council meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at city hall, will be geared mostly toward youngsters who are suspended or expelled from school.
If approved, the ordinance will take effect Monday, Nov. 3, so that the police will have about two weeks to prepare to implement the administrative procedures and requirements of the ordinance.
Under the ordinance, “It shall be unlawful for any person under the age of 18 to be or remain in or upon the streets, public parks, playgrounds, vacant lots or to ride and/or drive in or upon, over or through the public streets and/or public parks within the city of Jacksonville during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. when public schools are in sessions.”
This will coincide with the current curfew that prohibits juveniles from being out and about from midnight on Fridays and Saturdays to 5 a.m. the next morning, from 11 p.m. Sundays to 5 a.m. Mondays, and from 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday to 5 a.m. the next morning.
The ordinance does contain exceptions to the rule of no juveniles out on the streets during the day. Those exceptions include:
When the juvenile is with a parent or an adult.
When exercising First Amendment rights, after notifying the police or proper authorities.
When the juvenile’s parent have notified authorities of a valid reason for the juvenile to be out on his or her own.
When engaged in duties of bona fide employment.
The ordinance states that the daytime curfew is necessary for “the improvement of public facilities and the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Jacksonville.”
Also on the council agenda for Thursday’s meeting:
Aldermen will consider approving the rezoning of a parcel of land on South Hwy. 161 near Valentine Road from C-3 (commercial) to R-3 (multi-family residents). The city’s planning commission has recommended approval of the rezoning.
The council will also ap-prove the final plat of Foxwood Gardens Phase I, a subdivision of patio homes. The planning commission has approved the final plat.
The city’s fire and police chiefs will present their monthly reports. City Planner Chip McCulley will present the monthly engineering report and Public Works Director Jim Oakley will give the animal shelter report.
Aldermen will be reminded that the city will host its annual auction of excess, discarded and confiscated items at 9 a.m. Saturday at the recycling center off Marshall Road.
Leader staff writer
Jacksonville has had a nighttime curfew for juveniles for more than 15 years, but now the city wants a daytime curfew, too.
“We want kids in school, and if they are not in school, we don’t want them roaming the streets,” explained City Administrator Jay Whisker.
The proposed ordinance, which will be discussed at the city council meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at city hall, will be geared mostly toward youngsters who are suspended or expelled from school.
If approved, the ordinance will take effect Monday, Nov. 3, so that the police will have about two weeks to prepare to implement the administrative procedures and requirements of the ordinance.
Under the ordinance, “It shall be unlawful for any person under the age of 18 to be or remain in or upon the streets, public parks, playgrounds, vacant lots or to ride and/or drive in or upon, over or through the public streets and/or public parks within the city of Jacksonville during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. when public schools are in sessions.”
This will coincide with the current curfew that prohibits juveniles from being out and about from midnight on Fridays and Saturdays to 5 a.m. the next morning, from 11 p.m. Sundays to 5 a.m. Mondays, and from 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday to 5 a.m. the next morning.
The ordinance does contain exceptions to the rule of no juveniles out on the streets during the day. Those exceptions include:
When the juvenile is with a parent or an adult.
When exercising First Amendment rights, after notifying the police or proper authorities.
When the juvenile’s parent have notified authorities of a valid reason for the juvenile to be out on his or her own.
When engaged in duties of bona fide employment.
The ordinance states that the daytime curfew is necessary for “the improvement of public facilities and the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Jacksonville.”
Also on the council agenda for Thursday’s meeting:
Aldermen will consider approving the rezoning of a parcel of land on South Hwy. 161 near Valentine Road from C-3 (commercial) to R-3 (multi-family residents). The city’s planning commission has recommended approval of the rezoning.
The council will also ap-prove the final plat of Foxwood Gardens Phase I, a subdivision of patio homes. The planning commission has approved the final plat.
The city’s fire and police chiefs will present their monthly reports. City Planner Chip McCulley will present the monthly engineering report and Public Works Director Jim Oakley will give the animal shelter report.
Aldermen will be reminded that the city will host its annual auction of excess, discarded and confiscated items at 9 a.m. Saturday at the recycling center off Marshall Road.
TOP STORY > >Early voting is soon
Early voting in Pulaski, Lonoke, and White counties begins next Monday and runs through Monday, Nov. 3.
Jacksonville residents can vote early at Jacksonville City Hall at 1 Industrial Drive from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday.
Sherwood residents can vote early at Jack Evans Senior Citizens Center at 2301 Thornhill Drive from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information in Pulaski County, call 340-8336.
Lonoke residents may vote early at the Lonoke Courthouse at 301 N. Center St. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Cabot residents can vote early in the economic-development room located in the old Community Bank building at 110 S. First St. from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information in Lonoke County call 676-2368.
Beebe residents can vote early at the White County clerk’s office at 300 N. Spruce St. Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
For more information in White County, call 279-6207.
Jacksonville residents can vote early at Jacksonville City Hall at 1 Industrial Drive from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday.
Sherwood residents can vote early at Jack Evans Senior Citizens Center at 2301 Thornhill Drive from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information in Pulaski County, call 340-8336.
Lonoke residents may vote early at the Lonoke Courthouse at 301 N. Center St. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Cabot residents can vote early in the economic-development room located in the old Community Bank building at 110 S. First St. from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information in Lonoke County call 676-2368.
Beebe residents can vote early at the White County clerk’s office at 300 N. Spruce St. Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
For more information in White County, call 279-6207.
TOP STORY > >Drugs are easy to obtain
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
As many as one in five teens have abused prescription drugs at some point in their lives, according to national studies.
The drugs are easy to obtain – as easy as opening the family medicine cabinet or meeting up with a friend who has a supply.
Teens say illicit medications are as easy to get their hands on as beer.
Kids don’t realize the dangers in using prescription drugs recreationally; they think the substances are safe to use because they are medications, something that comes from doctors and drugstores. They don’t see the future risks of addiction, of damaged health and broken dreams.
Helping kids overcome a problem with drugs is not as simple as enacting consequences for bad behavior, such as grounding or taking away the car keys. When a kid breaks rules or violates accepted standards of behavior, the common parental response is punishment: you mess up, you suffer the consequences. The same punitive approach is society’s way of dealing with drug addiction, because criminal behavior is often involved. For most individuals incarcerated in U.S. prisons, drugs were involved in the crimes that got them there. Most remain addicts on the inside.
But now research into the behavioral whys of substanceabuse is leading to an approach that uses the appeal of immediate reward to help both adult and teen addicts stay drug-free, so that they never wind up before a judge.
Psychologists at the Center for Addiction Researcher at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences are applying some old – and new insights – about human behavior into therapies to help individuals with substance abuse problems. The approach is called contingency management.
Contingency management is based on the premise that a behavior is more likely to be repeated if reinforced positively – whether it’s with a pat on the back, money, praise, or other tangible reward. That is nothing new. Psychologists and the rest of us, ordinary folk, have known that for eons.
The newer insight is that individuals with addiction problems tend to live more in the present than the majority. So preaching to them about the horrors and harms of continued addiction – to one’s health, happiness, and finances – may have little impact. The future seems just too far away to matter, when compared to the powerful allure of a high.
In the past 20 years, researchers have been testing out this premise; many studies have shown its effectiveness in helping break addiction for cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, benzodiazephines, opiods, and other drugs.
Those in the business of helping addicts “are beginning to recognize that people involved with drugs extensively are not very good about thinking into the future,” Warren Bickel, director of the UAMS Center for Addiction Research, said. “Immediate reinforcement is often the only thing they can deal with.”
In successful research trials, patients are required to undergo frequent urine samples – several in a week. Clean tests result are rewarded with payments of a few dollars or gift certificates and coupons for goodies such as movie tickets, eating out or store purchases for clothing, electronics, or sporting equipment.
“This is something that works; it has been replicated time and time again,” Bickel said.
When it comes to helping kids with addiction problems, the “in the moment” mindset of the typical adolescent adds to the challenge. As any parent knows, teenagers are notorious for not thinking far into the future and believing they are invincible, beyond harm.
That is why some public health warnings about long-term deleterious health effects of drugs, drinking and tobacco are not effective with this age group.
“The older, classic treatment models for adults – which is very confrontational – don’t work as well with kids,” says Chris Rule, instructor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “The kids don’t buy into it. It doesn’t faze them in the same way as adults. They don’t see their problem. They say, ‘I know tons and tons of people who do it lots more than I do. I just got caught.’ They don’t see their problem as the start down of path to serious addiction problems.”
The UAMS Substance Abuse Services Program for Adolescents offers assessment and treatment at no cost to youth, ages 12 to 18, who qualify, as part of on-going research into effective programs to prevent and treat substance abuse problems. The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the city of Little Rock, and state tobacco settlement funding.
Parental involvement and positive incentives for desired behavior change are two cornerstones of the UAMS research trials.
“Family-based treatments have the most research support to date, and parents are required to participate with their teen in our clinic,” says Catherine Stanger, who with Alan Budney, direct the UAMS Substance Abuse Services for Adolescents. “Also, the use of incentives has been demonstrated to improve outcomes, and all of our research treatment programs use some form of incentives, either for participation or for abstinence.”
Teens accepted in the program receive 14 weeks of counseling and 12 weeks of follow-up services. They are expected to undergo drug testing while in the program and during follow-up. Parental involvement is required.
Parents are encouraged to not delay seeking help for a teen suspected of drug or alcohol abuse.
“Generally, the more severe the teen’s problem is at the time they enter treatment, the worse their outcome,” Stanger says.
“This is why we encourage families to seek treatment early in the development of a substance use problem. We generally tell families that if they have any concerns about their teen’s substance use, it is a good idea to seek an assessment to determine if treatment is appropriate. Don’t wait to see if things get better on their own.”
Tony Thurman, superintendent of Cabot public schools, concurs that “parental involvement is absolutely the key if a teen is to overcome the addiction.” An other essential, he says, is the child getting away from the crowd that is promoting the drug use.
“Typically, unless the student totally changes their peer group, it is almost, impossible for the student to overcome the addiction.”
“Think of drug addiction like an infection – if your defenses are down, you are susceptible – you’ve got to work on keeping your defenses up,” Bickel pointed out. For the teen in treatment for substance abuse – or to prevent one from ever occurring – that means parents need to work on creating the kind of life and environment that makes the youngster less vulnerable to drug use.
“Kids can’t be left alone for long periods to time, which can be a hard thing for parents to think through if both are working,” Bickel continued. “Kids need to be involved in community groups – scouting, museums, libraries, things that are pro-social, with people who are thinking of the best interests of the kids. Parents need to stay connected with their kids, sit down to dinner, hear about their day.”
Overcoming substance abuse is not necessarily a quick process. As anyone who has tried to stick to a diet knows, behavior change is tough. For the adult who has abused drugs or alcohol for years, staying clean involves in the whole person – engrained patterns and habits of life style, job skills and work ethic, friendship and family relationships, and finances.
“Addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder; learning how to be abstinent takes a lot of times trying … it involves learning how to manage how you think,” Bickel noted.
All the more reason to get help for a teen who has a substance abuse problem. Don’t wait for them to outgrow it. They may not.
For information about UAMS Substance Abuse Services for Adolescents, call (501)526-8446.
Leader staff writer
As many as one in five teens have abused prescription drugs at some point in their lives, according to national studies.
The drugs are easy to obtain – as easy as opening the family medicine cabinet or meeting up with a friend who has a supply.
Teens say illicit medications are as easy to get their hands on as beer.
Kids don’t realize the dangers in using prescription drugs recreationally; they think the substances are safe to use because they are medications, something that comes from doctors and drugstores. They don’t see the future risks of addiction, of damaged health and broken dreams.
Helping kids overcome a problem with drugs is not as simple as enacting consequences for bad behavior, such as grounding or taking away the car keys. When a kid breaks rules or violates accepted standards of behavior, the common parental response is punishment: you mess up, you suffer the consequences. The same punitive approach is society’s way of dealing with drug addiction, because criminal behavior is often involved. For most individuals incarcerated in U.S. prisons, drugs were involved in the crimes that got them there. Most remain addicts on the inside.
But now research into the behavioral whys of substanceabuse is leading to an approach that uses the appeal of immediate reward to help both adult and teen addicts stay drug-free, so that they never wind up before a judge.
Psychologists at the Center for Addiction Researcher at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences are applying some old – and new insights – about human behavior into therapies to help individuals with substance abuse problems. The approach is called contingency management.
Contingency management is based on the premise that a behavior is more likely to be repeated if reinforced positively – whether it’s with a pat on the back, money, praise, or other tangible reward. That is nothing new. Psychologists and the rest of us, ordinary folk, have known that for eons.
The newer insight is that individuals with addiction problems tend to live more in the present than the majority. So preaching to them about the horrors and harms of continued addiction – to one’s health, happiness, and finances – may have little impact. The future seems just too far away to matter, when compared to the powerful allure of a high.
In the past 20 years, researchers have been testing out this premise; many studies have shown its effectiveness in helping break addiction for cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, benzodiazephines, opiods, and other drugs.
Those in the business of helping addicts “are beginning to recognize that people involved with drugs extensively are not very good about thinking into the future,” Warren Bickel, director of the UAMS Center for Addiction Research, said. “Immediate reinforcement is often the only thing they can deal with.”
In successful research trials, patients are required to undergo frequent urine samples – several in a week. Clean tests result are rewarded with payments of a few dollars or gift certificates and coupons for goodies such as movie tickets, eating out or store purchases for clothing, electronics, or sporting equipment.
“This is something that works; it has been replicated time and time again,” Bickel said.
When it comes to helping kids with addiction problems, the “in the moment” mindset of the typical adolescent adds to the challenge. As any parent knows, teenagers are notorious for not thinking far into the future and believing they are invincible, beyond harm.
That is why some public health warnings about long-term deleterious health effects of drugs, drinking and tobacco are not effective with this age group.
“The older, classic treatment models for adults – which is very confrontational – don’t work as well with kids,” says Chris Rule, instructor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “The kids don’t buy into it. It doesn’t faze them in the same way as adults. They don’t see their problem. They say, ‘I know tons and tons of people who do it lots more than I do. I just got caught.’ They don’t see their problem as the start down of path to serious addiction problems.”
The UAMS Substance Abuse Services Program for Adolescents offers assessment and treatment at no cost to youth, ages 12 to 18, who qualify, as part of on-going research into effective programs to prevent and treat substance abuse problems. The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the city of Little Rock, and state tobacco settlement funding.
Parental involvement and positive incentives for desired behavior change are two cornerstones of the UAMS research trials.
“Family-based treatments have the most research support to date, and parents are required to participate with their teen in our clinic,” says Catherine Stanger, who with Alan Budney, direct the UAMS Substance Abuse Services for Adolescents. “Also, the use of incentives has been demonstrated to improve outcomes, and all of our research treatment programs use some form of incentives, either for participation or for abstinence.”
Teens accepted in the program receive 14 weeks of counseling and 12 weeks of follow-up services. They are expected to undergo drug testing while in the program and during follow-up. Parental involvement is required.
Parents are encouraged to not delay seeking help for a teen suspected of drug or alcohol abuse.
“Generally, the more severe the teen’s problem is at the time they enter treatment, the worse their outcome,” Stanger says.
“This is why we encourage families to seek treatment early in the development of a substance use problem. We generally tell families that if they have any concerns about their teen’s substance use, it is a good idea to seek an assessment to determine if treatment is appropriate. Don’t wait to see if things get better on their own.”
Tony Thurman, superintendent of Cabot public schools, concurs that “parental involvement is absolutely the key if a teen is to overcome the addiction.” An other essential, he says, is the child getting away from the crowd that is promoting the drug use.
“Typically, unless the student totally changes their peer group, it is almost, impossible for the student to overcome the addiction.”
“Think of drug addiction like an infection – if your defenses are down, you are susceptible – you’ve got to work on keeping your defenses up,” Bickel pointed out. For the teen in treatment for substance abuse – or to prevent one from ever occurring – that means parents need to work on creating the kind of life and environment that makes the youngster less vulnerable to drug use.
“Kids can’t be left alone for long periods to time, which can be a hard thing for parents to think through if both are working,” Bickel continued. “Kids need to be involved in community groups – scouting, museums, libraries, things that are pro-social, with people who are thinking of the best interests of the kids. Parents need to stay connected with their kids, sit down to dinner, hear about their day.”
Overcoming substance abuse is not necessarily a quick process. As anyone who has tried to stick to a diet knows, behavior change is tough. For the adult who has abused drugs or alcohol for years, staying clean involves in the whole person – engrained patterns and habits of life style, job skills and work ethic, friendship and family relationships, and finances.
“Addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder; learning how to be abstinent takes a lot of times trying … it involves learning how to manage how you think,” Bickel noted.
All the more reason to get help for a teen who has a substance abuse problem. Don’t wait for them to outgrow it. They may not.
For information about UAMS Substance Abuse Services for Adolescents, call (501)526-8446.
TOP STORY > >Base will welcome all to big air show
Little Rock Air Force Base’s open house is set for Saturday and Sunday and is open to the public.
The open house gives the base an opportunity to showcase its mission as the world’s largest C-130 training base and dazzle spectators with aerial and ground events from all branches of the armed forces from varying eras. The host unit is the 19th Airlift Wing, commanded by Brig. Gen. Rowayne Schatz.
The Navy’s premier aerial demonstration team, the Blue Angels, will highlight this year’s show, which boasts a “Combat Airlift” theme.
The Blue Angels performed at the 2006 open house, and more than 250,000 spectators were in attendance. This year’s show is expected to be even bigger.
Also performing at the open house will be the Army’s parachute team, the Golden Knights.
The T-28 Warbird formation/acrobatics team, also known as “Trojan Horsemen,” will perform their acrobatics overhead.
Shockwave — a jet truck that has a record speed of 376 miles per hour on a mile-long runway — will also be performing.
Also in this year’s lineup will be the Viper West F-16 demonstration team; the Air Force’s Air Combat Command Heritage Flight; the C-17, the newest airlifter to enter the Air Force’s inventory; Fat Albert Airlines, an all-Marine Corps crew of three officers and five enlisted personnel who operate the Lockheed-Martin C-130T Hercules; Mike Rinker and his SU-26 “Pink Floyd” aircraft, and the disabled American Veterans’ B-52 “Special Delivery.”
This year’s announcer will be an Emmy Award-winner, Rob Reider, who narrates air shows around the country. “Stepping Stones to Aviation,” a program designed to enrich the education of children by introducing them to the experience of flight in a hands-on program, will let children climb into the realistic simulators, pedal down a colorful runway and taxi into a controlled airspace.
Static displays for ground-based viewing include the F-22 Raptor, the F-15 Eagle, KC-135 Stratofortress, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, EC-130 J Commando Solo, C-17, C-21, C-130E and J, B-25 and much more.
The base’s open house — more commonly known as air show — is the largest single spectator event in Arkansas, attracting people from not only around the state, but from adjoining states as well and is the largest open house in the south central region.
In what is known as a “combat capabilities” exercise, C-130 aircraft from the base will show what they do in combat: paratroopers will jump in a display of military power and will drop heavy equipment and other cargo.
Five hours of flying and military-related entertainment for attendees will be available at this year’s two-day air show/open house. Also available for spectators to participate in will be the Army’s “Virtual Army Experience.” Participants will employ teamwork, rules of engagement, leadership and high-tech equipment in a virtual Army mission.
Souvenir, food and information booths will also be available. As always, admission and parking are free. For everyone’s safety, all visitors and their vehicles will be subject to search. No coolers, pets, or backpacks are allowed at the open house. Due to limited parking, RVs will not be allowed on base.
The Little Rock Air Force Base is located off Hwy. 67/167, at the air base exit.
Gates will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 4:30 p.m.
View continuous updates to this year’s air show lineup and find more information at www.littlerock.af.mil or call 501-987-2278 for a recorded informational message.
The open house gives the base an opportunity to showcase its mission as the world’s largest C-130 training base and dazzle spectators with aerial and ground events from all branches of the armed forces from varying eras. The host unit is the 19th Airlift Wing, commanded by Brig. Gen. Rowayne Schatz.
The Navy’s premier aerial demonstration team, the Blue Angels, will highlight this year’s show, which boasts a “Combat Airlift” theme.
The Blue Angels performed at the 2006 open house, and more than 250,000 spectators were in attendance. This year’s show is expected to be even bigger.
Also performing at the open house will be the Army’s parachute team, the Golden Knights.
The T-28 Warbird formation/acrobatics team, also known as “Trojan Horsemen,” will perform their acrobatics overhead.
Shockwave — a jet truck that has a record speed of 376 miles per hour on a mile-long runway — will also be performing.
Also in this year’s lineup will be the Viper West F-16 demonstration team; the Air Force’s Air Combat Command Heritage Flight; the C-17, the newest airlifter to enter the Air Force’s inventory; Fat Albert Airlines, an all-Marine Corps crew of three officers and five enlisted personnel who operate the Lockheed-Martin C-130T Hercules; Mike Rinker and his SU-26 “Pink Floyd” aircraft, and the disabled American Veterans’ B-52 “Special Delivery.”
This year’s announcer will be an Emmy Award-winner, Rob Reider, who narrates air shows around the country. “Stepping Stones to Aviation,” a program designed to enrich the education of children by introducing them to the experience of flight in a hands-on program, will let children climb into the realistic simulators, pedal down a colorful runway and taxi into a controlled airspace.
Static displays for ground-based viewing include the F-22 Raptor, the F-15 Eagle, KC-135 Stratofortress, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, EC-130 J Commando Solo, C-17, C-21, C-130E and J, B-25 and much more.
The base’s open house — more commonly known as air show — is the largest single spectator event in Arkansas, attracting people from not only around the state, but from adjoining states as well and is the largest open house in the south central region.
In what is known as a “combat capabilities” exercise, C-130 aircraft from the base will show what they do in combat: paratroopers will jump in a display of military power and will drop heavy equipment and other cargo.
Five hours of flying and military-related entertainment for attendees will be available at this year’s two-day air show/open house. Also available for spectators to participate in will be the Army’s “Virtual Army Experience.” Participants will employ teamwork, rules of engagement, leadership and high-tech equipment in a virtual Army mission.
Souvenir, food and information booths will also be available. As always, admission and parking are free. For everyone’s safety, all visitors and their vehicles will be subject to search. No coolers, pets, or backpacks are allowed at the open house. Due to limited parking, RVs will not be allowed on base.
The Little Rock Air Force Base is located off Hwy. 67/167, at the air base exit.
Gates will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 4:30 p.m.
View continuous updates to this year’s air show lineup and find more information at www.littlerock.af.mil or call 501-987-2278 for a recorded informational message.
Monday, October 13, 2008
SPORTS > > Billies club Badgers
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Beebe has lost just five times in John Shannon’s season-and-a-half, but the Badger head coach probably has never looked quite as stunned as he did on Friday night.
Maybe he was wondering how in the world Monticello lost two games this season after the Billies put on a dazzling array of weaponry in a convincing 41-14 win over the Badgers on Homecoming at “Bro” Irwin Stadium.
Ty Ferrell, fresh off a high ankle sprain, looked fully recovered in rushing for 209 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. Ferrell also threw for a score. But it wasn’t just Ferrell putting on a show. Running back Lance Ridgell went for 122 more on the ground as the Billies ran over and around a Beebe defense whose hallmark is toughness and physical play.
“They just whipped our butt, bottom line,” said Shannon, whose Badgers fell to 4-2, 2-1 in the 5A-Southeast. “In every phase of the game. There’s nothing else you can say about it.”
The Billies (4-2, 3-0) started the season in the Spread and quickly fell to 0-2. That’s when head coach Van Paschal decided to return to the Double Wing attack that had been in place during his tenure at the school. That appeared to be the right decision as the Billies unleashed a combination of misdirection, speed and power to pile up 446 yards on the ground — 468 overall.
“I thought it would be a low-scoring game,” Paschal said. “But the last three weeks, we’ve played real well. Ferrell has missed almost two weeks. He came back to practice on Wednesday. It was a game-time decision with him tonight.”
Defensively, the Billies were every bit as impressive, limiting Beebe senior fullback Sammy Williams to less than a 100 yards for the first time this season. Williams managed just 99 yards on 24 carries. The Badgers finished with 302 total yards. Purcell added 60 yards on seven carries.
Monticello came off the bus ready to play, embarking on a 14-play scoring drive on their first possession, converting a pair of fourth downs along the way, to take a quick 7-0 lead.
The Billies put 10 in the box on Beebe’s first play from scrimmage, but an option play to Brandon Purcell was good for 36 yards. Beebe had half a dozen big plays on the night, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The drive stalled and Monticello struck quickly, going 67 yards in five plays with Ridgell running a counter 36 yards to paydirt and a 14-0 lead, still in the opening period.
“We knew they were good,” Shannon said. “But we were getting better each and every week and figured we could match them and be as physical, and more physical than they were. But we weren’t. And that’s the disappointing thing, we lost the hitting game tonight and that’s suppose to be our trademark.”
Beebe’s offensive line finally began to open up some gaps on its next drive and Williams and Purcell took advantage as the Badgers marched 72 yards in nine plays to get right back into the ball game at 14-7 less than three minutes into the second period. Williams went through a gaping hole from eight yards for the score.
“We were trying to find the right scheme and (Monticello) kept mixing things up on us,” Shannon said. “We finally found it, but the bottom line is, they just out-hit us, and we didn’t respond.”
But that was as close as the Badgers would get as three minutes later, Ferrell optioned around the right end 44 yards for the score to make it 21-7.
After Williams fumbled on the first play of Beebe’s ensuing possession, Ferrell found Brishen Matthews for a 22-yard touchdown. The Billies’ second score in 16 seconds opened up a commanding 28-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Badgers mounted a drive in response, using a 50-yard Roger Glaude-to-Luke Gardner pass play to reach the 21. But the drive stalled and Beebe went into the locker room down three touchdowns.
The Badgers then did the worst thing possible to open up the second half: They embarked on an 8:15-play drive, which not only ate up valuable time, but came up empty as well.
Monticello took over at its own 5 and began a march that would all but put the game away, going 95 yards and eating up eight-and-a-half minutes to take a 35-7 lead.
Williams capped off a 7-play, 62-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge to make it 35-14 with 4:14 left in the contest.
“We could have tackled better, run better, and blocked better,” Shannon said. “We just didn’t play very good at all and when you don’t play well and you’re playing a team that good, you get your butt kicked. That’s what happened tonight.”
Beebe will try to bounce back next week at McClellan.
Leader sports editor
Beebe has lost just five times in John Shannon’s season-and-a-half, but the Badger head coach probably has never looked quite as stunned as he did on Friday night.
Maybe he was wondering how in the world Monticello lost two games this season after the Billies put on a dazzling array of weaponry in a convincing 41-14 win over the Badgers on Homecoming at “Bro” Irwin Stadium.
Ty Ferrell, fresh off a high ankle sprain, looked fully recovered in rushing for 209 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. Ferrell also threw for a score. But it wasn’t just Ferrell putting on a show. Running back Lance Ridgell went for 122 more on the ground as the Billies ran over and around a Beebe defense whose hallmark is toughness and physical play.
“They just whipped our butt, bottom line,” said Shannon, whose Badgers fell to 4-2, 2-1 in the 5A-Southeast. “In every phase of the game. There’s nothing else you can say about it.”
The Billies (4-2, 3-0) started the season in the Spread and quickly fell to 0-2. That’s when head coach Van Paschal decided to return to the Double Wing attack that had been in place during his tenure at the school. That appeared to be the right decision as the Billies unleashed a combination of misdirection, speed and power to pile up 446 yards on the ground — 468 overall.
“I thought it would be a low-scoring game,” Paschal said. “But the last three weeks, we’ve played real well. Ferrell has missed almost two weeks. He came back to practice on Wednesday. It was a game-time decision with him tonight.”
Defensively, the Billies were every bit as impressive, limiting Beebe senior fullback Sammy Williams to less than a 100 yards for the first time this season. Williams managed just 99 yards on 24 carries. The Badgers finished with 302 total yards. Purcell added 60 yards on seven carries.
Monticello came off the bus ready to play, embarking on a 14-play scoring drive on their first possession, converting a pair of fourth downs along the way, to take a quick 7-0 lead.
The Billies put 10 in the box on Beebe’s first play from scrimmage, but an option play to Brandon Purcell was good for 36 yards. Beebe had half a dozen big plays on the night, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The drive stalled and Monticello struck quickly, going 67 yards in five plays with Ridgell running a counter 36 yards to paydirt and a 14-0 lead, still in the opening period.
“We knew they were good,” Shannon said. “But we were getting better each and every week and figured we could match them and be as physical, and more physical than they were. But we weren’t. And that’s the disappointing thing, we lost the hitting game tonight and that’s suppose to be our trademark.”
Beebe’s offensive line finally began to open up some gaps on its next drive and Williams and Purcell took advantage as the Badgers marched 72 yards in nine plays to get right back into the ball game at 14-7 less than three minutes into the second period. Williams went through a gaping hole from eight yards for the score.
“We were trying to find the right scheme and (Monticello) kept mixing things up on us,” Shannon said. “We finally found it, but the bottom line is, they just out-hit us, and we didn’t respond.”
But that was as close as the Badgers would get as three minutes later, Ferrell optioned around the right end 44 yards for the score to make it 21-7.
After Williams fumbled on the first play of Beebe’s ensuing possession, Ferrell found Brishen Matthews for a 22-yard touchdown. The Billies’ second score in 16 seconds opened up a commanding 28-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Badgers mounted a drive in response, using a 50-yard Roger Glaude-to-Luke Gardner pass play to reach the 21. But the drive stalled and Beebe went into the locker room down three touchdowns.
The Badgers then did the worst thing possible to open up the second half: They embarked on an 8:15-play drive, which not only ate up valuable time, but came up empty as well.
Monticello took over at its own 5 and began a march that would all but put the game away, going 95 yards and eating up eight-and-a-half minutes to take a 35-7 lead.
Williams capped off a 7-play, 62-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge to make it 35-14 with 4:14 left in the contest.
“We could have tackled better, run better, and blocked better,” Shannon said. “We just didn’t play very good at all and when you don’t play well and you’re playing a team that good, you get your butt kicked. That’s what happened tonight.”
Beebe will try to bounce back next week at McClellan.
SPORTS > > Smith captures medalist honors; Panthers second
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Cabot coach Ronny Tollett sure wouldn’t mind seeing the state of Arkansas adopt the high school golf tournament format most of the rest of the country uses to determine state champions.
In Arkansas, teams play a one-day, 18-hole state tournament, not enough, in Tollett’s estimation, to take the best measure of the best teams in the state.
“Every other state does two days, some three,” said Tollett, a couple of days after his Panthers settled for second, three strokes behind Conway, in the 7A state tournament played Tuesday at Cypress Creek Golf Course. “Perhaps some day we will. It’s equal for everyone, but you hate to go to PGA event and see who the best player is over just one day. One or two swings can cost you the whole deal.
“But I’m not making excuses. It’s the same for everyone and Conway was definitely the best team.”
While Cabot finished second, Panther sophomore Hunter Smith earned medalist honors on Tuesday with a 72.
Cabot was coming off a disappointing 2007 season. That disappointment wasn’t the result of poor play last year, just circumstances. The Panthers shot a state tournament-best 310 last season, but had failed to qualify as a team and thus, were ineligible for the title.
The Panthers went into this fall with the very realistic goal of capturing the 7A title and, after winning the 7A-Central Conference tournament on Sept. 23, they were right on schedule.
But other than Smith, the rest of the Panther squad underperformed based on their meet showings throughout the fall. Tollett blamed it on very difficult conditions, which combined wet fairways that lengthened the 6,800-yard course, with gusty winds that dried out the greens and made the tricky pin placements all the more treacherous.
After Smith, the other two Panther golfers who made up Cabot’s top-tier threesome struggled on Tuesday. Nicklaus Benton fired a respectable, though disappointing 76, while brother Colby Benton shot 79.
“Nick has been an excellent player since he got here as a ninth grader,” said Tollett of the senior Benton. “He felt like he let everybody down, but he had blisters on his hand and had a couple of problems on a couple of holes before he could get that taken care of. He’s been our most consistent player all year.”
Rounding out Cabot’s scoring was Cody Webster’s 83 and Kevan Sharp’s 85.
Conway, meanwhile, which finished third in the conference meet, six strokes behind Cabot, had three players finish in the top eight and four finish at 80 or below. The Wampus Cats won despite having a player disqualified for turning in the wrong score after posting an actual 73.
Ironically, the Panthers posted the exact same score (310) that they did at last year’s meet.
“I would have thought we’d done better than that this year,” Tollett said. “We’ve shot under 300 a lot this year. Hunter could have shot lower but couldn’t get any putts to fall. He left himself in good position but the holes were in some tough spots. But he played solid and steady.”
Smith made two birdies — only one with a one-putt — to go along with two bogies.
“Everyone understood they had to shoot pretty well,” Tollett said. “Other than Hunter, our guys ballooned four to six strokes over their average and that was the difference. They were disappointed.”
But six of Cabot’s nine golfers will return next season, including Smith and Colby Benton. All have played at even par at some point this season and all are, in Tollett’s words, “accomplished golfers.” So a 2009 state title is within reach.
“Everybody would like to think that you can put together that great round as a team and win it,” Tollett said.
Leader sports editor
Cabot coach Ronny Tollett sure wouldn’t mind seeing the state of Arkansas adopt the high school golf tournament format most of the rest of the country uses to determine state champions.
In Arkansas, teams play a one-day, 18-hole state tournament, not enough, in Tollett’s estimation, to take the best measure of the best teams in the state.
“Every other state does two days, some three,” said Tollett, a couple of days after his Panthers settled for second, three strokes behind Conway, in the 7A state tournament played Tuesday at Cypress Creek Golf Course. “Perhaps some day we will. It’s equal for everyone, but you hate to go to PGA event and see who the best player is over just one day. One or two swings can cost you the whole deal.
“But I’m not making excuses. It’s the same for everyone and Conway was definitely the best team.”
While Cabot finished second, Panther sophomore Hunter Smith earned medalist honors on Tuesday with a 72.
Cabot was coming off a disappointing 2007 season. That disappointment wasn’t the result of poor play last year, just circumstances. The Panthers shot a state tournament-best 310 last season, but had failed to qualify as a team and thus, were ineligible for the title.
The Panthers went into this fall with the very realistic goal of capturing the 7A title and, after winning the 7A-Central Conference tournament on Sept. 23, they were right on schedule.
But other than Smith, the rest of the Panther squad underperformed based on their meet showings throughout the fall. Tollett blamed it on very difficult conditions, which combined wet fairways that lengthened the 6,800-yard course, with gusty winds that dried out the greens and made the tricky pin placements all the more treacherous.
After Smith, the other two Panther golfers who made up Cabot’s top-tier threesome struggled on Tuesday. Nicklaus Benton fired a respectable, though disappointing 76, while brother Colby Benton shot 79.
“Nick has been an excellent player since he got here as a ninth grader,” said Tollett of the senior Benton. “He felt like he let everybody down, but he had blisters on his hand and had a couple of problems on a couple of holes before he could get that taken care of. He’s been our most consistent player all year.”
Rounding out Cabot’s scoring was Cody Webster’s 83 and Kevan Sharp’s 85.
Conway, meanwhile, which finished third in the conference meet, six strokes behind Cabot, had three players finish in the top eight and four finish at 80 or below. The Wampus Cats won despite having a player disqualified for turning in the wrong score after posting an actual 73.
Ironically, the Panthers posted the exact same score (310) that they did at last year’s meet.
“I would have thought we’d done better than that this year,” Tollett said. “We’ve shot under 300 a lot this year. Hunter could have shot lower but couldn’t get any putts to fall. He left himself in good position but the holes were in some tough spots. But he played solid and steady.”
Smith made two birdies — only one with a one-putt — to go along with two bogies.
“Everyone understood they had to shoot pretty well,” Tollett said. “Other than Hunter, our guys ballooned four to six strokes over their average and that was the difference. They were disappointed.”
But six of Cabot’s nine golfers will return next season, including Smith and Colby Benton. All have played at even par at some point this season and all are, in Tollett’s words, “accomplished golfers.” So a 2009 state title is within reach.
“Everybody would like to think that you can put together that great round as a team and win it,” Tollett said.
SPORTS > > Red Devils fend off Warriors
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The two Red Devil scores in the second half ultimately proved unnecessary thanks to a Jacksonville defensive effort that allowed only 42 yards of offense from Little Rock Hall in the final two quarters on Friday night at Scott Field.
The result was a 27-8 victory for Jacksonville that relied heavily on clock management in the last 24 minutes to grab its second 6A-East Conference win of the season.
The Warriors (1-5, 0-3 conf.) hung tough with Jacksonville (3-3, 2-1 conf.) through most of the first half, but a late first-half injury to starting quarterback Myron Jackson seemed to zap their momentum on offense.
Ricky Thomas did a respectable job of filling in for Jackson, but couldn’t shake a relentless second-half blitz attack led by senior defensive back Corey Bester.
Jacksonville’s only turnover of the night came on the second-half kickoff, which gave the Warriors excellent field position at the Devil 39-yard line. They got down to the Jacksonville 28 before Bester busted through for a pair of huge sacks.
The first one sent Hall back eight yards, and his second one was even more damaging. Bester caught Thomas 13 yards behind the line of scrimmage to set up a fourth-and-32 situation.
“Hats off to them – they kept plugging,” Jacksonville coach Mark Whatley said of the Warriors after the game. “Fortunately, we found a way to win it. I don’t know, we seemed flat – we’re not playing with a lot of excitement or passion. We’ve got to get that back and we’ve got find it quick.”
Despite the disappointment on the overall effort, Whatley was pleased to see the defensive effort in the second half.
“They really came up big,” Whatley said. “We had a couple of stuffs there off the corner that really backed them up and turned the game around a little bit. I was glad to see that happen.”
Bester also put the final stake through the heart with 1:20 left to play with a 10-yard touchdown run that set the final margin, but his sacks proved to be the game changer.
“Coached called them,” Bester said. “Whatever he tells me to do, I’m going to do it. We practice on this every single day since August, and we just pushed it to the next level. And I had to do it for my team, so, there you go.”
Bester also relished his late TD run.
“It felt good,” Bester said. “My team supports me. I couldn’t do any of this without my team behind me.”
Jacksonville took its first possession after a stalled Hall drive to start the game and went 85 yards in 11 plays for the first score. Running back Patrick Geans did most of the damage on the ground, taking six carries for 47 yards, but it was Keith Rodgers that capped off the drive on a seven-yard run with 4:16 left in the first quarter. The point-after attempt was unsuccessful to leave the score 6-0.
The Warriors answered on their ensuing drive. A good kick return netted them great field position at their own 45-yard line, and Sherodrick Smith busted through the Red Devil defensive line from a yard out to start the second quarter, which tied things up at 6-6.
Smith also bulled his way in for the two-point conversion to give Hall its first and only lead of the contest.
The Red Devils kept it on the ground during their next scoring drive. This time, Bester took the first three carries before Geans took over once again. Rodgers gave Jacksonville first and goal at the 2 on a 9-yard carry, and Geans busted through for the score with 2:31 left in the half. The Warriors blocked Price Eubanks’ point-after attempt to leave the score at 12-8 heading into intermission.
The third quarter went scoreless, but the Red Devils finally scored through the air with 9:43 left in the game. QB Logan Perry found Terrell Brown in the corner of the end zone on the left side for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Rodgers ran in the two-point conversion to put Hall down by two scores at 20-8 with little time left to make up the deficit.
Geans led the Red Devils in rushing with 20 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. Rodgers had six rushes for 69 yards and a touchdown, and got the only turnover for Jacksonville on the final play of the game with an interception, while Bester finished with seven carries for 48 yards and a score.
Perry went 13 of 23 through the air for 145 yards and a touchdown. Demitris Harris had three catches for 33 yards, and Brown had three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Jacksonville converted 16 first downs, and was penalized seven times for 40 yards. The Red Devils had 351 yards of total offense, with 143 yards of total offense for Little Rock Hall. The Warriors had nine first downs and five penalties for 45 yards.
The Red Devils host Searcy for Homecoming next Friday.
Leader sportswriter
The two Red Devil scores in the second half ultimately proved unnecessary thanks to a Jacksonville defensive effort that allowed only 42 yards of offense from Little Rock Hall in the final two quarters on Friday night at Scott Field.
The result was a 27-8 victory for Jacksonville that relied heavily on clock management in the last 24 minutes to grab its second 6A-East Conference win of the season.
The Warriors (1-5, 0-3 conf.) hung tough with Jacksonville (3-3, 2-1 conf.) through most of the first half, but a late first-half injury to starting quarterback Myron Jackson seemed to zap their momentum on offense.
Ricky Thomas did a respectable job of filling in for Jackson, but couldn’t shake a relentless second-half blitz attack led by senior defensive back Corey Bester.
Jacksonville’s only turnover of the night came on the second-half kickoff, which gave the Warriors excellent field position at the Devil 39-yard line. They got down to the Jacksonville 28 before Bester busted through for a pair of huge sacks.
The first one sent Hall back eight yards, and his second one was even more damaging. Bester caught Thomas 13 yards behind the line of scrimmage to set up a fourth-and-32 situation.
“Hats off to them – they kept plugging,” Jacksonville coach Mark Whatley said of the Warriors after the game. “Fortunately, we found a way to win it. I don’t know, we seemed flat – we’re not playing with a lot of excitement or passion. We’ve got to get that back and we’ve got find it quick.”
Despite the disappointment on the overall effort, Whatley was pleased to see the defensive effort in the second half.
“They really came up big,” Whatley said. “We had a couple of stuffs there off the corner that really backed them up and turned the game around a little bit. I was glad to see that happen.”
Bester also put the final stake through the heart with 1:20 left to play with a 10-yard touchdown run that set the final margin, but his sacks proved to be the game changer.
“Coached called them,” Bester said. “Whatever he tells me to do, I’m going to do it. We practice on this every single day since August, and we just pushed it to the next level. And I had to do it for my team, so, there you go.”
Bester also relished his late TD run.
“It felt good,” Bester said. “My team supports me. I couldn’t do any of this without my team behind me.”
Jacksonville took its first possession after a stalled Hall drive to start the game and went 85 yards in 11 plays for the first score. Running back Patrick Geans did most of the damage on the ground, taking six carries for 47 yards, but it was Keith Rodgers that capped off the drive on a seven-yard run with 4:16 left in the first quarter. The point-after attempt was unsuccessful to leave the score 6-0.
The Warriors answered on their ensuing drive. A good kick return netted them great field position at their own 45-yard line, and Sherodrick Smith busted through the Red Devil defensive line from a yard out to start the second quarter, which tied things up at 6-6.
Smith also bulled his way in for the two-point conversion to give Hall its first and only lead of the contest.
The Red Devils kept it on the ground during their next scoring drive. This time, Bester took the first three carries before Geans took over once again. Rodgers gave Jacksonville first and goal at the 2 on a 9-yard carry, and Geans busted through for the score with 2:31 left in the half. The Warriors blocked Price Eubanks’ point-after attempt to leave the score at 12-8 heading into intermission.
The third quarter went scoreless, but the Red Devils finally scored through the air with 9:43 left in the game. QB Logan Perry found Terrell Brown in the corner of the end zone on the left side for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Rodgers ran in the two-point conversion to put Hall down by two scores at 20-8 with little time left to make up the deficit.
Geans led the Red Devils in rushing with 20 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. Rodgers had six rushes for 69 yards and a touchdown, and got the only turnover for Jacksonville on the final play of the game with an interception, while Bester finished with seven carries for 48 yards and a score.
Perry went 13 of 23 through the air for 145 yards and a touchdown. Demitris Harris had three catches for 33 yards, and Brown had three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Jacksonville converted 16 first downs, and was penalized seven times for 40 yards. The Red Devils had 351 yards of total offense, with 143 yards of total offense for Little Rock Hall. The Warriors had nine first downs and five penalties for 45 yards.
The Red Devils host Searcy for Homecoming next Friday.
SPORTS > > Panthers wallop ’Cats
By RAY BENTON
Special to the Leader
There are usually fireworks when 28 points are scored in the final 1:43 of a football game. In the case of Cabot’s 34-21 homecoming victory over North Little Rock last night, the final 21 were academic.
The Panthers scored with 1:43 left in the game to take a commanding 27-7 lead when senior halfback Wesley Sowell scampered around the right side for 21 yards and the score. It capped a dominant second half for the home team after the two squads battled to a 7-7 deadlock at halftime.
“I thought the offensive line did a good job,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “Defensively we gave up a few yards here and there, but boy we held them a couple times down there around the 20. When we finally got the ball with the lead in the second half and I started feeling a lot better.”
From that point, North Little Rock marched 80 yards in 43 seconds against Cabot’s prevent defense to make it 27-14. Panther cornerback Joe Bryant then scooped up the onside kick, raced around the right side of the Wildcat front line and ran 48 yards for the Panthers’ final touchdown. North Little Rock got the ball back with 48 seconds left and scored again with eight seconds remaining after a rapid 75-yard drive to set the final margin.
“We backed off too much,” Malham said. “You can’t back off that much, you got to be in the ball park, but everything worked out. We got a conference win, we’re 2-1 and we’re a lot better off than we were last week.”
The Wildcats threatened to score on the opening drive of the game, marching 59 yards in five plays to the Panther 21. North Little Rock hurt itself with a fumbled handoff exchange on first down. After one incompletion, Bryant knocked down a pass to set up fourth and 12. The Wildcats called timeout to discuss the situation, and decided to go for it. The Panthers were expecting pass and sent the kitchen sink after NLR quarterback David Hope. Three Panthers, senior linebacker Ethan Coffee and junior linemen Jared Maxwell and T.J. Bertrand, converged on Hope simultaneously and took him down for a 12-yard loss.
Cabot took over and marched 60 yards in eight plays with fullback Michael James capping the drive with a 1-yard plunge. Sowell kept the drive alive on fourth and one from the 49 with an 18 yard burst off right tackle.
North Little Rock came right back, marching down the field again, only this time without the late mistakes. The Wildcats again faced a fourth down, but this time they were at the Cabot 3-yard line and needed just two yards for the first down. After another timeout, running back Michael Tillman got just enough to keep the drive alive. A play later, he scored to tie the game.
That’s the way the half ended, although the Wildcats threatened again. Taking over on its own 36 with just 1:07 left in the half, NLR got to the Cabot 10 and a half-yard line with the help of a Panther pass interference call. The Wildcats lost five yards on a fumble and missed a 33-yard field goal to close the half.
The Panthers got the ball to start the second half and went on a 14-play, 71-yard drive to take the lead for good. James again did the honors, scoring from seven yards out on second and goal. The Panther defense then held NLR to three and out, but fumbled it away after reaching the NLR 14-yard line.
The gift was returned two plays later when Hope, facing heavy pressure from Cabot senior defensive tackle Cody Myers, let go an ill-advised pass that went right to senior defensive end Nicholas McTague. McTague returned it eight yards to the Wildcat 17. Four plays later, quarterback Seth Bloomberg kept on the option read from five yards out to put the home team up 20-7.
The Panther defense bent again on NLR’s next drive, but again didn’t break. The visitors drove from their own 23 to the Cabot 8-yard line. Three straight pass attempts were knocked out of the air by Bryant, Nathan Byrnes and Spencer Neumann, setting Cabot up for its final scoring drive.
North Little Rock finished with 409 total yards, with 155 of those came in the last 1:43 of the game. The Panthers amassed 349 total yards, 341 on the ground.
James led all rushers with 153 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. All of Cabot’s backs had good games. Bloomberg rushed six times for 60 yards and a score, Sowell had 11 carries for 77 yards and a score and Chris Bayless toted it 13 times for 74 yards.
Hope did the work for NLR, completing 21 of 35 pass attempts for 323 yards and two touchdowns. He spread it out well, hitting six different receivers. Senior Donald James led four receivers with 60-plus yards with seven catches for 92 yards.
Cabot improved to 5-1 and 2-1 in the 7A-Central while North Little Rock fell to 4-2 and 1-2. Cabot travels to Little Rock Central next week while NLR hosts conference leader Catholic.
Special to the Leader
There are usually fireworks when 28 points are scored in the final 1:43 of a football game. In the case of Cabot’s 34-21 homecoming victory over North Little Rock last night, the final 21 were academic.
The Panthers scored with 1:43 left in the game to take a commanding 27-7 lead when senior halfback Wesley Sowell scampered around the right side for 21 yards and the score. It capped a dominant second half for the home team after the two squads battled to a 7-7 deadlock at halftime.
“I thought the offensive line did a good job,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “Defensively we gave up a few yards here and there, but boy we held them a couple times down there around the 20. When we finally got the ball with the lead in the second half and I started feeling a lot better.”
From that point, North Little Rock marched 80 yards in 43 seconds against Cabot’s prevent defense to make it 27-14. Panther cornerback Joe Bryant then scooped up the onside kick, raced around the right side of the Wildcat front line and ran 48 yards for the Panthers’ final touchdown. North Little Rock got the ball back with 48 seconds left and scored again with eight seconds remaining after a rapid 75-yard drive to set the final margin.
“We backed off too much,” Malham said. “You can’t back off that much, you got to be in the ball park, but everything worked out. We got a conference win, we’re 2-1 and we’re a lot better off than we were last week.”
The Wildcats threatened to score on the opening drive of the game, marching 59 yards in five plays to the Panther 21. North Little Rock hurt itself with a fumbled handoff exchange on first down. After one incompletion, Bryant knocked down a pass to set up fourth and 12. The Wildcats called timeout to discuss the situation, and decided to go for it. The Panthers were expecting pass and sent the kitchen sink after NLR quarterback David Hope. Three Panthers, senior linebacker Ethan Coffee and junior linemen Jared Maxwell and T.J. Bertrand, converged on Hope simultaneously and took him down for a 12-yard loss.
Cabot took over and marched 60 yards in eight plays with fullback Michael James capping the drive with a 1-yard plunge. Sowell kept the drive alive on fourth and one from the 49 with an 18 yard burst off right tackle.
North Little Rock came right back, marching down the field again, only this time without the late mistakes. The Wildcats again faced a fourth down, but this time they were at the Cabot 3-yard line and needed just two yards for the first down. After another timeout, running back Michael Tillman got just enough to keep the drive alive. A play later, he scored to tie the game.
That’s the way the half ended, although the Wildcats threatened again. Taking over on its own 36 with just 1:07 left in the half, NLR got to the Cabot 10 and a half-yard line with the help of a Panther pass interference call. The Wildcats lost five yards on a fumble and missed a 33-yard field goal to close the half.
The Panthers got the ball to start the second half and went on a 14-play, 71-yard drive to take the lead for good. James again did the honors, scoring from seven yards out on second and goal. The Panther defense then held NLR to three and out, but fumbled it away after reaching the NLR 14-yard line.
The gift was returned two plays later when Hope, facing heavy pressure from Cabot senior defensive tackle Cody Myers, let go an ill-advised pass that went right to senior defensive end Nicholas McTague. McTague returned it eight yards to the Wildcat 17. Four plays later, quarterback Seth Bloomberg kept on the option read from five yards out to put the home team up 20-7.
The Panther defense bent again on NLR’s next drive, but again didn’t break. The visitors drove from their own 23 to the Cabot 8-yard line. Three straight pass attempts were knocked out of the air by Bryant, Nathan Byrnes and Spencer Neumann, setting Cabot up for its final scoring drive.
North Little Rock finished with 409 total yards, with 155 of those came in the last 1:43 of the game. The Panthers amassed 349 total yards, 341 on the ground.
James led all rushers with 153 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. All of Cabot’s backs had good games. Bloomberg rushed six times for 60 yards and a score, Sowell had 11 carries for 77 yards and a score and Chris Bayless toted it 13 times for 74 yards.
Hope did the work for NLR, completing 21 of 35 pass attempts for 323 yards and two touchdowns. He spread it out well, hitting six different receivers. Senior Donald James led four receivers with 60-plus yards with seven catches for 92 yards.
Cabot improved to 5-1 and 2-1 in the 7A-Central while North Little Rock fell to 4-2 and 1-2. Cabot travels to Little Rock Central next week while NLR hosts conference leader Catholic.
SPORTS > > Closing on a high note
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
It hasn’t always been easy, but it has proved to be rewarding.
Back in 2005, Jessica Beaver started her freshman year at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock on a soccer scholarship. Beaver had been the most talented player on her Jacksonville High School team, but the world of Division I soccer was new and sometimes overwhelming.
Four years later, Beaver, now a senior, is tied for fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in goals. She has also knocked home a pair of game-winning goals, good for fifth in the SBC.
“It was a lot to take in at first,” said Beaver, who played at JHS under longtime soccer coach Bill Vasquez. “In high school, a lot of the girls on that team had never even been on a team before, but it was nothing new for me because I had been on one team or another since I was 5.
“Coming in my freshman year, it was a lot faster game. Everyone had speed, and could move as fast as you.”
Beaver has been a starter all four years at UALR in a variety of positions, but is closing out her career strictly as a forward.
First-year UALR soccer coach Freddy Delgado said Beaver was already solid when he first joined the program, and has continued to develop during his short tenure.
“Jessie is having an excellent season,” Delgado said. “It started out a little rough. She was not quite where she needed to be physically when we started out, but I could see the potential there.
“She just gets better every day. She is a great leader for the team as well. She has a good balance of being serious but at the same time having fun. She’s probably the funniest player on our team. She’s quite a character.”
Beaver is one of only three seniors on this year’s Lady Trojan team, and their leadership has been invaluable to the new coach.
“They have the experience of being in this conference for four years,” Delgado said. “And the program has gotten better every year. They only won two conference games back in ’05, and to go from that to last season when they had their most success is a pretty good accomplishment. Success starts from the top down, and they have the rest of the team believing in the program.”
Beaver chose UALR over a variety of schools, including Delta State and Harding. She took an instant liking to the Lady Trojan program. It had the added advantage of keeping her close to her parents Kathy and Carl Beaver.
The Lady Trojans missed the Sun Belt tournament in her freshman season, but have made it both times since. The 2007 season ended historically for Beaver and her UALR teammates. In fact, they made history twice with one win.
The Lady Trojans had never beaten Middle Tennessee in school history, nor had they made it to the semifinal round of the conference tourney. That all changed when they downed the Lady Raiders in the quarterfinals in a dramatic shootout ending, but even that is not her most memorable performance.
For that, you have to go back to her senior year of high school, and a game against cross-town rival North Pulaski. It was that game in which Beaver recorded her only career high-school hat trick in a 3-1 win over the Lady Falcons.
Before her senior year of high school, most of Beaver’s high-school accolades came from basketball. She was a two-time all-conference selection and an all-state selection her senior year for the Lady Devils basketball team before earning all-conference in soccer her senior year, which earned her an invitation to the prestigious all-star game the following summer in Fayetteville.
She also played club soccer for the Searcy Crush, which earned a state title during her tenure.
Jacksonville High School athletic director Jerry Wilson has seen his share of college signees go through his program over his 20 years at the school, but said that a DI signee was fairly rare.
“She was always the epitome of a good student athlete,” Wilson said. “She was the type of person that could come out, and if you needed help in one sport or another, she could do it. She also got it done in the classroom. She just had a great attitude about everything – truly unique.”
Beaver graduated from JHS with a 3.6 grade point average.
This season may be her last to compete as a player, but her future plans will most likely have her on the soccer fields in the central Arkansas area. With a major in math and a minor in coaching, Beaver hopes to become a high-school math teacher and coach.
The self-described “homebody” wants to stay in the Little Rock area to begin her teaching and coaching career.
“I’ve been in sports all my life,” Beaver said. “Just because this is ending for me as a player doesn’t mean I want to stop. I like kids, and I like being involved.”
She is making the most of her senior year at UALR. Along with her 2008 Sun-Belt records, she currently sits 12th on the Lady Trojans’ all-time goals list with 10, and is 14th in career points with 24. Her highest ranking is in career shots, where she sits in eighth-place with 85 shots. All this with seven matches still left in the regular season.
As the ’08 Sun Belt soccer season winds down, the Lady Trojans are in the middle of the fight for one of the top-eight seeds required to reach the conference tournament, which will be held in Denton, Tx., on Nov. 5-8. Now 2-2 in league play, the Lady Trojans’ two-year streak of reaching the postseason is on the line, but Beaver remains confident.
“The last couple of practices, we’ve been refreshing things,” she said. “Not really changing anything, just using the same things but trying to make them better. We all feel like we should be 4-0 (in conf.) right now. We felt like we were the better team in the two that we lost, but we didn’t finish the way that we needed to. We’re going to stick to our game plan. We definitely have the team to make it.”
As for her career and her choice of school, she says there are no regrets.
“It’s been a rollercoaster ride,” Beaver said. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs, and it hasn’t always been easy. I feel like playing all four years is a pretty good accomplishment for me. Not everyone lasts.”
“But I’m glad I stuck with it. It’s definitely been worth it.”
Leader sportswriter
It hasn’t always been easy, but it has proved to be rewarding.
Back in 2005, Jessica Beaver started her freshman year at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock on a soccer scholarship. Beaver had been the most talented player on her Jacksonville High School team, but the world of Division I soccer was new and sometimes overwhelming.
Four years later, Beaver, now a senior, is tied for fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in goals. She has also knocked home a pair of game-winning goals, good for fifth in the SBC.
“It was a lot to take in at first,” said Beaver, who played at JHS under longtime soccer coach Bill Vasquez. “In high school, a lot of the girls on that team had never even been on a team before, but it was nothing new for me because I had been on one team or another since I was 5.
“Coming in my freshman year, it was a lot faster game. Everyone had speed, and could move as fast as you.”
Beaver has been a starter all four years at UALR in a variety of positions, but is closing out her career strictly as a forward.
First-year UALR soccer coach Freddy Delgado said Beaver was already solid when he first joined the program, and has continued to develop during his short tenure.
“Jessie is having an excellent season,” Delgado said. “It started out a little rough. She was not quite where she needed to be physically when we started out, but I could see the potential there.
“She just gets better every day. She is a great leader for the team as well. She has a good balance of being serious but at the same time having fun. She’s probably the funniest player on our team. She’s quite a character.”
Beaver is one of only three seniors on this year’s Lady Trojan team, and their leadership has been invaluable to the new coach.
“They have the experience of being in this conference for four years,” Delgado said. “And the program has gotten better every year. They only won two conference games back in ’05, and to go from that to last season when they had their most success is a pretty good accomplishment. Success starts from the top down, and they have the rest of the team believing in the program.”
Beaver chose UALR over a variety of schools, including Delta State and Harding. She took an instant liking to the Lady Trojan program. It had the added advantage of keeping her close to her parents Kathy and Carl Beaver.
The Lady Trojans missed the Sun Belt tournament in her freshman season, but have made it both times since. The 2007 season ended historically for Beaver and her UALR teammates. In fact, they made history twice with one win.
The Lady Trojans had never beaten Middle Tennessee in school history, nor had they made it to the semifinal round of the conference tourney. That all changed when they downed the Lady Raiders in the quarterfinals in a dramatic shootout ending, but even that is not her most memorable performance.
For that, you have to go back to her senior year of high school, and a game against cross-town rival North Pulaski. It was that game in which Beaver recorded her only career high-school hat trick in a 3-1 win over the Lady Falcons.
Before her senior year of high school, most of Beaver’s high-school accolades came from basketball. She was a two-time all-conference selection and an all-state selection her senior year for the Lady Devils basketball team before earning all-conference in soccer her senior year, which earned her an invitation to the prestigious all-star game the following summer in Fayetteville.
She also played club soccer for the Searcy Crush, which earned a state title during her tenure.
Jacksonville High School athletic director Jerry Wilson has seen his share of college signees go through his program over his 20 years at the school, but said that a DI signee was fairly rare.
“She was always the epitome of a good student athlete,” Wilson said. “She was the type of person that could come out, and if you needed help in one sport or another, she could do it. She also got it done in the classroom. She just had a great attitude about everything – truly unique.”
Beaver graduated from JHS with a 3.6 grade point average.
This season may be her last to compete as a player, but her future plans will most likely have her on the soccer fields in the central Arkansas area. With a major in math and a minor in coaching, Beaver hopes to become a high-school math teacher and coach.
The self-described “homebody” wants to stay in the Little Rock area to begin her teaching and coaching career.
“I’ve been in sports all my life,” Beaver said. “Just because this is ending for me as a player doesn’t mean I want to stop. I like kids, and I like being involved.”
She is making the most of her senior year at UALR. Along with her 2008 Sun-Belt records, she currently sits 12th on the Lady Trojans’ all-time goals list with 10, and is 14th in career points with 24. Her highest ranking is in career shots, where she sits in eighth-place with 85 shots. All this with seven matches still left in the regular season.
As the ’08 Sun Belt soccer season winds down, the Lady Trojans are in the middle of the fight for one of the top-eight seeds required to reach the conference tournament, which will be held in Denton, Tx., on Nov. 5-8. Now 2-2 in league play, the Lady Trojans’ two-year streak of reaching the postseason is on the line, but Beaver remains confident.
“The last couple of practices, we’ve been refreshing things,” she said. “Not really changing anything, just using the same things but trying to make them better. We all feel like we should be 4-0 (in conf.) right now. We felt like we were the better team in the two that we lost, but we didn’t finish the way that we needed to. We’re going to stick to our game plan. We definitely have the team to make it.”
As for her career and her choice of school, she says there are no regrets.
“It’s been a rollercoaster ride,” Beaver said. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs, and it hasn’t always been easy. I feel like playing all four years is a pretty good accomplishment for me. Not everyone lasts.”
“But I’m glad I stuck with it. It’s definitely been worth it.”
Friday, October 10, 2008
TOP STORY > >Victim’s body is identified, more sought
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The woman whose remains were recently found near the Wright Cabinet shop in Jacksonville has been identified as Sandra Ann Givens of White County, who would have been 32 at the time of her murder a year ago. So far law-enforcement officials have nothing to say regarding as many as 14 other murders allegedly committed by the same suspects in at least two other states, according to Lt. Matt Rice of the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office.
George Alan Smith, 33, of Jacksonville has been charged in Pulaski County with capital murder in connection with Givens’ death, but the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency in the larger investigation based on information from a Jacksonville informant, currently awaiting trial in the Faulkner County Jail on two other counts of murder.
Weeks after The Leader named Ronald Dean Charles, 31, as the informant and possible serial killer, officials now confirm that identification. Charles, who has a Cabot address and was raised in Jacksonville, told Faulkner County investigators that he was involved in as many as 15 murders. He implicated Smith in Givens’ murder and may have implicated Smith or others in other deaths.
Charles and Troy Allen Crook, 29, of 2716 Moro Lane, Jacksonville, are awaiting trial in connection with the April 9, 2008 murders of cousins Bobby Don Brock, 45, and Lonnie Franklin Brock, 62.
In addition to two capital murder charges, Charles and Crook each face a bevy of other charges related to the Brock killings.
Charles reportedly helped lead officials to Givens’ body, and law- enforcement officials from several jurisdictions, including the State Police and the FBI, are involved in checking out his claims to have murdered many others.
Smith, who was apparently identified by Charles in connection with Givens’ murder, is in the Pulaski County Jail.
Jacksonville Police have not released details of Givens’ murder or proposed a motive, according to April Kiser, a spokesman.
Givens’ family reported her missing to the White County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 6, 2007, Kiser said.
Givens’ remains were recovered Sept. 25 and the state Crime Lab identified her through dental records on Thursday.
Her family is caring for her three young sons, William, Brandon and Johnny, “who meant the world to her,” according to a statement from her sister, Beverly Stills.
“We hope to shelter them from some of the intense pain and hurt we all are experiencing,” according to Sills’ statement.
“We wish to thank the (Jack-sonville) Police Department for their professionalism in clarifying the circumstances surrounding Sandra’s murder,” Sills said in her statement.
The Givens Family Assistance Fund has been started at the Bank of America, with all donations going directly to the children, Sills said.
“We’re trying to get the Jack-sonville one out of the way,” said Rice of the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Department, “before moving on to other things.”
He said his office believes both Smith and Charles were involved in Givens’ death.
Smith was reportedly slated to be a witness for the prosecution when Charles and Crook stand trial for the murder of the Brocks.
Leader senior staff writer
The woman whose remains were recently found near the Wright Cabinet shop in Jacksonville has been identified as Sandra Ann Givens of White County, who would have been 32 at the time of her murder a year ago. So far law-enforcement officials have nothing to say regarding as many as 14 other murders allegedly committed by the same suspects in at least two other states, according to Lt. Matt Rice of the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office.
George Alan Smith, 33, of Jacksonville has been charged in Pulaski County with capital murder in connection with Givens’ death, but the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency in the larger investigation based on information from a Jacksonville informant, currently awaiting trial in the Faulkner County Jail on two other counts of murder.
Weeks after The Leader named Ronald Dean Charles, 31, as the informant and possible serial killer, officials now confirm that identification. Charles, who has a Cabot address and was raised in Jacksonville, told Faulkner County investigators that he was involved in as many as 15 murders. He implicated Smith in Givens’ murder and may have implicated Smith or others in other deaths.
Charles and Troy Allen Crook, 29, of 2716 Moro Lane, Jacksonville, are awaiting trial in connection with the April 9, 2008 murders of cousins Bobby Don Brock, 45, and Lonnie Franklin Brock, 62.
In addition to two capital murder charges, Charles and Crook each face a bevy of other charges related to the Brock killings.
Charles reportedly helped lead officials to Givens’ body, and law- enforcement officials from several jurisdictions, including the State Police and the FBI, are involved in checking out his claims to have murdered many others.
Smith, who was apparently identified by Charles in connection with Givens’ murder, is in the Pulaski County Jail.
Jacksonville Police have not released details of Givens’ murder or proposed a motive, according to April Kiser, a spokesman.
Givens’ family reported her missing to the White County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 6, 2007, Kiser said.
Givens’ remains were recovered Sept. 25 and the state Crime Lab identified her through dental records on Thursday.
Her family is caring for her three young sons, William, Brandon and Johnny, “who meant the world to her,” according to a statement from her sister, Beverly Stills.
“We hope to shelter them from some of the intense pain and hurt we all are experiencing,” according to Sills’ statement.
“We wish to thank the (Jack-sonville) Police Department for their professionalism in clarifying the circumstances surrounding Sandra’s murder,” Sills said in her statement.
The Givens Family Assistance Fund has been started at the Bank of America, with all donations going directly to the children, Sills said.
“We’re trying to get the Jack-sonville one out of the way,” said Rice of the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Department, “before moving on to other things.”
He said his office believes both Smith and Charles were involved in Givens’ death.
Smith was reportedly slated to be a witness for the prosecution when Charles and Crook stand trial for the murder of the Brocks.
TOP STORY > >Beebe animal shelter will start euthanizing
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
For about two years, Beebe Animal Control working with a rescue group in Texas has shipped to states in the east most of the unwanted dogs picked up in Beebe. As a result, about 350 dogs have found new homes and the city has the reputation of running a no-kill shelter.
But during a special council meeting Thursday night, Mayor Mike Robertson got the council’s blessings to change that perception.
Although no firm date has been set for euthanizations to start, the mayor told the council that the shelter is currently holding roughly twice the dozen dogs that can comfortably be housed there and Horace Taylor, the animal control officer, has refused to pick up dogs when residents call.
Robertson explained that the dogs must be certified healthy before they can be shipped out of state but with the close quarters at the shelter there is no room to quarantine sick animals.
So if one comes in with an infec tion, more become infected; shipping is delayed, and the shelter becomes overfilled.
Robertson said that although he supports the concept of rescuing dogs rather than euthanizing them, medical experts have told him that euthanization is the best plan until a better shelter is built.
The city council has agreed that a new shelter should be constructed in the spring with the proceeds from the city 1.8 mil real estate tax, which should bring in $50,000 to $60,000.
The mayor told the council that he has been reluctant to discuss problems at the shelter because it is a delicate one with the potential of causing problems for the city.
For about four months, he has been monitoring Internet sites where Beebe Animal Control is discussed and he knew from those sites that the situation was becoming volatile.
The volunteers who work to rescue impounded dogs and find new homes for them in the east have exaggerated the poor conditions at the shelter when soliciting donations, he said.
On Thursday, he fired a part- time worker at the shelter after she emailed the director of the Beebe Chamber of Commerce criticizing the city for not building the shelter now.
Her job was to work 19 hours a week cleaning the cages, not “saying when things should be done and how they should be done,” Robertson said.
He also warned the council that euthanizing dogs could potentially bring the wrath of animal-rights advocates down on the city, but the council backed his decision to proceed as necessary.
“I just wanted you to know, here we go,” the mayor said.
Leader staff writer
For about two years, Beebe Animal Control working with a rescue group in Texas has shipped to states in the east most of the unwanted dogs picked up in Beebe. As a result, about 350 dogs have found new homes and the city has the reputation of running a no-kill shelter.
But during a special council meeting Thursday night, Mayor Mike Robertson got the council’s blessings to change that perception.
Although no firm date has been set for euthanizations to start, the mayor told the council that the shelter is currently holding roughly twice the dozen dogs that can comfortably be housed there and Horace Taylor, the animal control officer, has refused to pick up dogs when residents call.
Robertson explained that the dogs must be certified healthy before they can be shipped out of state but with the close quarters at the shelter there is no room to quarantine sick animals.
So if one comes in with an infec tion, more become infected; shipping is delayed, and the shelter becomes overfilled.
Robertson said that although he supports the concept of rescuing dogs rather than euthanizing them, medical experts have told him that euthanization is the best plan until a better shelter is built.
The city council has agreed that a new shelter should be constructed in the spring with the proceeds from the city 1.8 mil real estate tax, which should bring in $50,000 to $60,000.
The mayor told the council that he has been reluctant to discuss problems at the shelter because it is a delicate one with the potential of causing problems for the city.
For about four months, he has been monitoring Internet sites where Beebe Animal Control is discussed and he knew from those sites that the situation was becoming volatile.
The volunteers who work to rescue impounded dogs and find new homes for them in the east have exaggerated the poor conditions at the shelter when soliciting donations, he said.
On Thursday, he fired a part- time worker at the shelter after she emailed the director of the Beebe Chamber of Commerce criticizing the city for not building the shelter now.
Her job was to work 19 hours a week cleaning the cages, not “saying when things should be done and how they should be done,” Robertson said.
He also warned the council that euthanizing dogs could potentially bring the wrath of animal-rights advocates down on the city, but the council backed his decision to proceed as necessary.
“I just wanted you to know, here we go,” the mayor said.
TOP STORY > >City collars 137 pit bulls
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
“It’s as if we don’t have a pit bull ban at all,” says Hedy Limke, supervisor of Jacksonville’s Animal Control Department.
Even though Jacksonville has had a ban in place for about two years, Limke says this year alone her department has picked up 137 pit bull or pit mixes.
Of those, 101 have been euthanized.
Of the 36 returned to their owners, six were registered, 30 were not, and all were banished from the city.
“Most of these pits were running loose when we picked them up,” Limke says. She says owners then have 48 hours to contact the shelter and make proper arrangements for the dog.
Those arrangements include showing proof of rabies shots, making an appointment to have the pit bull spayed our neutered, and having the dog micro chipped. Then the dog must be moved outside the city limits.
“Before we release a pit bull back to the owner, they must provide us with the dog’s new address outside the city limits,” Limke says.
She adds, besides the shots, the neutering and the micro chipping, the owner is charged a $100 service charge and given a citation that could cost the owner up to another $500.
“If we see the animal within the city limits a second time, it is destroyed,” she says.
Limke doesn’t understand why so many pit bulls are being found in the city, but say its “crazy out there.”
“We got in five more pit bulls just last week, it’s like there’s no ban,” she says.
Luckily, she says the increase in loose pit bulls have not resulted in a rash of pit bull bites or attacks. “We’ve only had two bite-related cases this year, so that has definitely gone down,” she says.
Sherwood had a run of pit bulls in May and June, says Robin Breaux, supervisor of that city’s animal control department.
“We’ve had our ban in place since the late 90s, and average five to 10 a year, but when Gravel Ridge became a part of
Sherwood in May we had an increase in pit bulls.”
Breaux says in May the city took in six pit bulls from Gravel Ridge and 15 more in June. “We didn’t take anyone’s dog away, these we all pit bulls that were running loose.”
She says most pit bull or pit mixes that the shelter get in are destroyed. “We just can’t take a chance. Our number one priority is to protect the public, but we do currently have one pit bull up for adoption who is a real sweetheart.”
But Breaux says the pit bulls that the shelter decides are safe enough to be adopted just don’t go to anyone. “We do a home visit and inspection before releasing the animal,” she says.
Both cities do require all animals to be vaccinated and licensed. In Jacksonville the licensing fee runs $30 if the pet is not neutered or spayed and up to date on shots, $5 if spayed and neutered and free if neutered and up to date on shots.
In Sherwood a license costs $3 and can be obtained from the shelter or local vet when the animal receives rabies shots.
Leader staff writer
“It’s as if we don’t have a pit bull ban at all,” says Hedy Limke, supervisor of Jacksonville’s Animal Control Department.
Even though Jacksonville has had a ban in place for about two years, Limke says this year alone her department has picked up 137 pit bull or pit mixes.
Of those, 101 have been euthanized.
Of the 36 returned to their owners, six were registered, 30 were not, and all were banished from the city.
“Most of these pits were running loose when we picked them up,” Limke says. She says owners then have 48 hours to contact the shelter and make proper arrangements for the dog.
Those arrangements include showing proof of rabies shots, making an appointment to have the pit bull spayed our neutered, and having the dog micro chipped. Then the dog must be moved outside the city limits.
“Before we release a pit bull back to the owner, they must provide us with the dog’s new address outside the city limits,” Limke says.
She adds, besides the shots, the neutering and the micro chipping, the owner is charged a $100 service charge and given a citation that could cost the owner up to another $500.
“If we see the animal within the city limits a second time, it is destroyed,” she says.
Limke doesn’t understand why so many pit bulls are being found in the city, but say its “crazy out there.”
“We got in five more pit bulls just last week, it’s like there’s no ban,” she says.
Luckily, she says the increase in loose pit bulls have not resulted in a rash of pit bull bites or attacks. “We’ve only had two bite-related cases this year, so that has definitely gone down,” she says.
Sherwood had a run of pit bulls in May and June, says Robin Breaux, supervisor of that city’s animal control department.
“We’ve had our ban in place since the late 90s, and average five to 10 a year, but when Gravel Ridge became a part of
Sherwood in May we had an increase in pit bulls.”
Breaux says in May the city took in six pit bulls from Gravel Ridge and 15 more in June. “We didn’t take anyone’s dog away, these we all pit bulls that were running loose.”
She says most pit bull or pit mixes that the shelter get in are destroyed. “We just can’t take a chance. Our number one priority is to protect the public, but we do currently have one pit bull up for adoption who is a real sweetheart.”
But Breaux says the pit bulls that the shelter decides are safe enough to be adopted just don’t go to anyone. “We do a home visit and inspection before releasing the animal,” she says.
Both cities do require all animals to be vaccinated and licensed. In Jacksonville the licensing fee runs $30 if the pet is not neutered or spayed and up to date on shots, $5 if spayed and neutered and free if neutered and up to date on shots.
In Sherwood a license costs $3 and can be obtained from the shelter or local vet when the animal receives rabies shots.
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