TOP STORY > >O’Brien told don’t shred documents

By STEPHEN STEED
Special to The Leader

All 17 Pulaski County Circuit judges have ordered outgoing Pulaski County Circuit Clerk Pat O’Brien and his staff to “cease and desist from shredding” court documents as part of O’Brien’s two-year effort to move the courthouse into a paperless society.

O’Brien said Friday he likely will appeal the judges’ order to the Arkansas Supreme Court, saying it’s a separation-of-powers issue. “I’ve been elected to the executive branch,” he said. The judges’ order infringes on his decisions on how best to run his office, he said. A draft of an appeal is being reviewed. If he pursues an appeal, it will be filed by the end of the month, O’Brien said.

Pulaski County has 17 judges in its civil, criminal, probate and juvenile courts. Fifteen of the 17 judges joined in a single order Nov. 12 ordering O’Brien to stop shredding the documents. The two others issued an identical order Nov. 15.

Circuit Judge Vann Smith on Friday said he and the other circuit court judges have occasionally voiced their concerns to O’Brien that an ongoing effort in the circuit clerk’s office to transfer court records into electronic files was making their jobs difficult. About a dozen of the judges and Circuit Clerk-elect Larry Crane met with O’Brien on Nov. 10 to ask him to stop shredding documents. O’Brien leaves office Jan. 1.

“My idea at the time was, ‘Unless you’re ordering me to stop, I’m going to keep going,” O’Brien said Friday. “I understand what their argument is. I just disagree with it.”

Smith first approached O’Brien in August and asked him to stop shredding documents until the November election. O’Brien was running for secretary of state at the time. He lost.

The circuit judges weren’t satisfied after last week’s group meeting with O’Brien, Smith said.

“He was asked not to shred. He knew there was a possibility of a court order, and the shredding went on. So we filed.”

The judges’ order says the move extends “its inherent authority over the operation of the courts” and is also supported by circuit judges recently elected. The order took effect immediately.

O’Brien said there’s a “double verification” process to make sure paper documents are correctly scanned and digitalized before they are shredded. “The system works,” he said.

“It’s safe and the best system a human being can create.”

Smith said he and the other judges support moving documents into an electronic form but do not want paper documents to be shredded until all the kinks in the effort are worked out.

“We don’t want to be critical of Pat,” Smith said. “He’s pushing hard for this and working hard. We just want to make sure we get the documents and files we need to do our jobs. If we don’t, we can’t do our work.”

An example of the problems facing judges, Smith said, is the time lapse between when a summons is served and the time that summons is filed electronically and available to judges on their computers.

“Say, a woman files an order of protection. If we can’t find for certain that there’s proof of service, we can’t grant that order,” he said.

Circuit Judge Ellen Brantley on Friday night cited similar problems in self-represented divorce cases. She also noted that circuit clerks “have been saving records for a hundred years” and questioned the need to shred now. She also said it’s rare for the 17 judges to join in on a single order.

“Of course, it’s rare you can get 17 judges to agree on anything,” she said.

O’Brien said going to a “paperless environment at the courthouse” was one of his goals when he was first elected. State law and an Arkansas Supreme Court administrative order give him and other circuit clerks the authority to destroy paper documents once they’re converted to electronic files, he said.

The move electronically will save at least $1.5 million over 10 years, he said, citing a reduction in the cost of paper and staff, plus nearly $100,000 now spent each year in leasing a warehouse to store paper documents.

He said about $425,000 has been spent so far in the effort to transfer the paper files into digital ones.

TOP STORY >> Stumbaugh, Cypert trade jabs on debt

By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer

Stubby Stumbaugh is arguably the most colorful mayor to ever fill that office in Cabot. A former Little Rock police officer and television personality, he publicly called other city officials liars, and his working relationship with county and state officials was often strained.

He took office in 2003, and for most of the four years that followed, the council was split; council meetings were long and contentious; mayoral vetoes were not uncommon, and eventually a rift developed between Stumbaugh and the business community.

Stumbaugh, who left office after one term and ran unsuccessfully for Congress, is now in a runoff race for mayor against Bill Cypert, secretary and spokesman for the Cabot Water and Wastewater Commission. With the election set for next Tuesday, Cypert says he is “taking the gloves off” and telling voters that Stumbaugh was a poor manager of the city’s money, an issue that wasn’t much discussed while Stumbaugh was in office.

Cabot doesn’t need four more years of Stumbaugh, Cypert said, and he feels obligated to tell why, pointing out that Cabot had the worst state audit ever.

Stumbaugh has challenged Cypert to prove that he wasn’t a good mayor.

To that end, Cypert asked for city documents under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, and he said during an interview Monday night that he has met Stumbaugh’s challenge.

Among the documents Cypert received was a memo from Clerk-Treasurer Marva Verkler, who said that at the end of 2006, when all the bills were paid, the city had $4,500 in the general fund. Then it was discovered that tax payments of $44,436.33 had not been posted, so the general fund was actually negative $39,882.64.

To keep checks from bouncing, the water and wastewater commission paid the city the full $248,745 public-safety fee that had been scheduled for four equal payments throughout the year.
After that, Eddie Joe Williams, the incoming mayor, asked for a running total of 2006 bills that needed to be paid in January 2007. Those records show that in addition to the overdraft, the city owed $891,731.
Many of the invoices were from the last quarter of the year, but included in that old debt were bills from an engineer who had not been paid for a full year for his work with the city’s planning commission. Those monthly bills totaled $16,348.
In addition to the $248,745 from Cabot WaterWorks, the city had revenue for January 2007 of $887,675. From that combined revenue, the city had to make payroll, and start paying on the old bills while new bills were coming in.
Contacted Tuesday, Stum-baugh called Cypert’s evidence that he was a bad manager, “half truths and lies.”
Some of the old debt was from the community center, which was an ongoing city project, Stumbaugh said. Those bills were frequently paid three months after they were received, he said.
Some of it was almost certainly because the city paid $500,000 for a special census in 2006 that has since brought in an additional $1.2 million in state turnback money, he said.

A document created in October by Williams, who was elected to the Arkansas Senate this month, says that when he took office in 2007, the city was more than $1 million in debt (including a $300,000 loan in 2006 for police cars), but by the end of this year, the city will have about $4 million in surplus operating funds.

“When I first took office, I was asked, ‘Do you want to pay our employees or pay our overdue debts because we can’t do both,’” Williams wrote.

His response was to collect all the money due to the city from Cabot WaterWorks and to cut the city’s workforce by 10. Those 10 positions were either duplicates of other positions or the work could be done by other employees, the mayor wrote.

“By controlling our spending, we finished the year (2007) with $1,347,283 in savings, and we paid off all $800,000 of our unpaid debts,” he wrote.

Stumbaugh said in an e-mail last week that Cypert and Alder-man Eddie Cook have told many lies about him. Cook came in third in the race for mayor and is now supporting Cypert.

“We have run a clean and positive campaign and focused on the future of Cabot. We will continue to do just that as we move forward to victory,” Stumbaugh said.

Stumbaugh’s e-mail included a resolution sponsored by Cook and Alderman Tom Armstrong (deceased) that praised him for his four-year term as mayor. His character, intelligence and governing skills were in constant evidence, the resolution said.

Why, he asked in a later phone interview, would Cook sponsor the resolution if Stumbaugh had been a bad mayor?

“The council had no idea about the poor financial condition of the city due to the finance director answering directly to the mayor,” Cook responded by email to Stumbaugh’s question.

“We had no functioning budget committee, and council meetings were long and heated to say the least.
“I was asked to sponsor the legislation. Out of respect for Mr. Stumbaugh, Tom Armstrong and myself sponsored the legislation to recognize not only Mr. Stumbaugh, but everyone who was leaving the council and had served as an elected official.

“As I leave office in January, I would hope that myself and the other council members who are leaving will be recognized for our service to this community as well,” he wrote.

EDITORIAL >>Airport needs new manager

Without taking time to pray about it, does this sound a little improper to you, or not? A small private academy with big-time athletic ambitions wants to put an artificial turf in its stadium in the western reaches of Little Rock near Chenal Valley and asks you for a big pledge to get it installed. Your son goes there. 

You have your assistant write the school a check for $40,000 on your employer’s bank account. It happens to be a public agency, the Little Rock National Airport.

And then you lie about it. Let’s amend that to say you were “misleading.”

That is what happened to Ronald Mathieu, the director of the national airport. The airport commission, which employs Mathieu, found out about the turf grant to the Little Rock Christian Academy over the weekend by reading an online account of it in the Arkansas Times. Mathieu and his $97,000-a-year press secretary refused to answer the little newspaper’s questions and then denounced its reporting as “innuendo and untruths.”

Mathieu or someone on his staff acting at his request gave the turf grant after arranging for it to be “advertising” for the airport. A sign on the field mentions the airport’s website, so the airport is paying $40,000 to put its imprimatur at a spot on the field for 10 years. You see, fans who see football games there will want to go out and fly somewhere, which will benefit the airport.

The expenditure was listed vaguely in a budget item for advertising last summer. A member of the commission asked why advertising costs had jumped from $5,000 the previous year to $47,000 this year. 

Without mentioning that $40,000 of it paid for new turf at the Little Rock Christian Academy, Mathieu said the commissioners had wanted him to promote the website and some other things and he was doing it in varying ways.

The commission was none too pleased to learn over the weekend what the expenditure was for and see the publicity about its reckless spending. The commission is trying to expand and modernize the airport and wants to look like a good steward of the public’s money. Tuesday, it allowed Mathieu to say that he was sorry for mishandling the matter, misleading his bosses, stonewalling the people at the Arkansas 

Times who asked about the matter and, well, just about everyone. He said he would never do anything like that again. He said he just had not thought about how the thing would appear.

The commissioners said they would see if there was any way that they could get the money back from the school, which has already spent it to put down the artificial surface and paint the airport’s little logo on a corner of it. They said they might look into Mathieu’s other spending a little more closely—there have been rumors—but they were eager to forgive him for the transgression. All our bosses should be so forgiving.

As of Tuesday, Mathieu’s press secretary was still stonewalling the newspaper’s questions.      

—Ernie Dumas

EDITORIAL >>Don’t stop Development

Was that a lot of good news for central Arkansas yesterday?

The Little Rock National Airport broke ground for a $50 million expansion and modernization, which Governor Beebe called a shot in the arm for economic development. “This is the front door for business recruits,” he said, and when it is finished it will trigger greater tourism. The place will be far more secure and convenient for travelers, too.

A few miles to the southwest, the state Highway Commission opened bids on the single biggest highway project in the state’s history, the third phase of redevelopment of the interchange of interstate highways 430, 630, 30 and 40, that giant strategic bottleneck on Little Rock’s west side that handles more traffic by far than any corridor in the state. The contract, which is for $78 million, will widen I-630 and construct flyover lanes to speed traffic through the maze. When it is finished in three years, there will be fewer fatal wrecks and who knows how much reduction in blood pressures and road rage.

The first two phases of the interchange project, which are wrapping up, cost about $35 million.

Is there a nexus for all these good works?

It’s federal money, mainly that reviled “stimulus” money, although U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder and the state’s senators had also got a few earmarks and federal transportation and economic-development grants along the way. The highway and airport projects would not be taking place without them. Quite a few other road and bridge projects across the state have been undertaken or finished in the past 18 months with stimulus funds.

If memory serves, the Republican candidates for Congress, every one of them, condemned President Obama’s stimulus program as money down a rat hole that created no jobs but bloated the deficit.

They may indeed have enlarged the deficit a bit, although the economic activity all of it created and is about to create will offset the spending with more federal, state and local receipts from income, excise and sales taxes. Those men in pith helmets out at the Shackleford interchange look like real people to us, not phantoms. We could be wrong.

Sen.-elect John Boozman, who as a congressman has been a champion of federal pork for his district, now says he will join with the new Senate leadership and seek no more money for Arkansas projects to demonstrate the Republican resolve to get the deficit under control.

Here’s a bet. When they dedicate the new airport and the new interchange, Sen. Boozman and our new congressman, Tim Griffin (if he’s still around then), will be there to get their pictures taken cutting the ribbons.

TOP STORY > >PCSSD sets goals to meet

By john hofheimer

Leader senior staff writer

As if the Pulaski County Special School District Board and administration didn’t have enough on its plate, it must prepare for the likelihood that the district will soon be declared unitary and lose much of the $17 million a year it receives in desegregation money from the state, attorney Sam Jones reported at a special meeting Monday.

Jones is the district’s attorney for purposes of the existing desegregation agreement and for its efforts to be ruled unitary (desegregated) in U.S. District Court and thus emerge from court oversight.

District Judge Brian Miller could make such a ruling any time, and two byproducts would be the loss or phase out of the desegregation funds and almost certainly a fresh move by those favoring an independent Jacksonville school district.

Act 395 of 2007, sponsored by former state Rep. Will Bond, then of Jacksonville, provided several sticks and carrots to move PCSSD and its desegregation companions, the Little Rock and North Little Rock school districts, toward unitary status, and provided that desegregation funding could be phased out over as long as seven years.

Jones said the loss would not amount to $17 million a year. Some state money the district isn’t currently eligible for would be available, though he didn’t suggest the amount.

Jones told the board, including new members Gloria Lawrence and Tom Stuthard, and new Superintendent Charles Hopson, that the state has hired a consulting firm to study the impact of the loss of such funding on the three districts.

Hopson told reporters that the administration was “working out” how they could handle losing the money, which would amount to about 7 percent of its budget.

Board president Bill Vasquez of Jacksonville said he was confident the district would find a way to make up the money it needed.

The state has engaged Navigant Consulting to assess the financial circumstances of all three Pulaski County districts and to make recommendations to the state and by extension to the three districts, for ways the districts could manage their revenues and expenses to emerge financially sound from an ultimate phase out of state funding, according to Jones. He said the Navigant report could be made at or near the beginning of the next legislative session in January.

“Navigant Consulting (is) looking at your books to make recommendations how the district would respond to the phase-out of this money,” Jones said. He said they would assess the district’s ability to survive a phase-out of the desegregation funds.

 Jones told them that most observers believe that the key to the ruling would be its view on whether or not student assignment and student racial balance in PCSSD were desegregated.
“What’s the probability for unitary status for other districts to step up and claim schools belonging to Pulaski County?” Tim Clark asked.

Jones said that was a risk.

TOP STORY > >Area cities schedule Christmas parades

Jacksonville, Cabot and Sherwood are making plans for their Christmans parades.
 
 • Jacksonville will hold its parade at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4.  Its theme is “Sound of Christmas.”The entry fee is $20, which will benefit the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club.
For more information or to register, call 501-982-4316 or email lwalker@cityofjacksonville.net. The deadline to register is Nov. 19.
 
•Cabot’s parade will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12. The parade’s theme is “An Old-Fashioned Christmas.” Parti-cipants should choose an idea or image that represents their favorite memory of Christmas and use it to design their float. The parade will include several marching bands, clowns, veterans and Santa Claus.

Entry forms, parade rules and route maps will be available soon at the Veterans Park Community Center and the Cabot Chamber of Commerce at www.cabotparks.net.   
The deadline to register is Saturday, Dec. 4.  Completed forms, along with $10 entry fee, should be sent to Cabot Christmas Parade, P.O. Box 1101, Cabot, Ark. 72023.

The Cabot parade committee encourages businesses and civic groups to participate.
Trophies will be awarded in five categories, best school/civic group, church, business, animal/equestrian and general/personal.  The parade will travel on S. Pine Street at Hwy. 89 beginning at Panther Trail, and turn left on Pond Street and end at Central Elementary School. For more information, call 501-920-2122 or e-mail: cabotbeautiful@yahoo.com .

• The Sherwood Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Christmas parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. The theme of this year’s parade will be “Home for the Holidays.” The parade will begin at the intersection of Kiehl Avenue and Lantrip Road and will continue west down Kiehl Avenue and will end at the intersection of Kiehl and Oakbrooke Drive. The grand marshals for this year’s parade will be Becki Vassar and Butch Davis. Both Vassar and Davis have dedicated many years of service to Sherwood as aldermen. Both will be retiring from the city council at the end of this year.

The Sherwood Advertising and Promotion Commission sponsors  the parade.
For more information or to request an entry form, contact Katelyn Rash at the chamber office, 501-835-7600 or email shwdchamber@att.net.
 
• Beebe has scheduled its Christmas parade at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. The theme is “A Cartoon Christmas.” Participants will begin lining up at 5 p.m. on Badger Drive. Registration forms are available at beebeark.org and at the chamber of commerce in city hall.

TOP STORY > >Late students get booted out at JHS

By JOHN HOFHEIMER

Leader senior staff writer

A Pulaski County Special School District official may have cut some corners when suspending about 50 Jacksonville High School students for skipping class or tardiness, he said this week.

To combat growing absenteeism and tardiness that threatened order at the school, administrator Karl Brown suspended 47 or 49 students Thursday and Friday until their parents met with him, according to Brown, director on special assignment to the school—suspensions that may not have always followed the student handbook.

All students were back in class by Monday, he said.

“It has been a challenge to get this school under control. Sometimes in the process of getting it under control, we may miss a step here or there,” Brown said.

“What I told every parent, next time their child is tardy, we will call them,” Brown said. “The (next time) they will receive a two-day suspension.”

“They weren’t following the policy or the student handbook,” Brenda Bowles said when asked about the suspensions. Bowles is assistant superintendent for equity and pupil services.

“You can’t just take everybody,” she said. “You must look at it case-by-case.”

She said teachers were adjusting to a new coding system, and that could have caused false reports of tardiness.

“The handbook calls for sending letters out to parents at the end of nine weeks for excessive absences or tardiness. First, there should be a parent conference, then detention, then a two-day in-school suspension before suspending a student for a day.”

Brown said many of the students were not first sent to detention or in-school suspension, but “due process was not violated. Due process is telling students what was wrong, then giving consequences.

“Were parents notified? That’s a good question. In some cases they were.”

“I feel like I did the right thing and the parents I spoke to were very supportive,” said Brown, a central office administrator assigned to the high school to help deal with discipline problems.

“For the most part, parents have supported the new administration here at Jacksonville,” he said. “When kids are in class, the environment is safer. We know where they are. Parents want Jacksonville High School to be safe and orderly the way it was years ago when Jim Johnson was there.

“The administration is raising the bar on attendance and tardiness,” said Superintendent Charles Hopson. 

“This sends a strong message to parents and students.  They were suspended until the parents came to talk to Mr. Brown. Today, tardiness was almost non-existent,” he said Monday.

“It caused a bit of turbulence. Parents said the rules weren’t clear.”

Speaking of Brown, Bowles said, “He’s trying to get students to class, but there’s due process. They have rights.”

SPORTS>>Senior Hidalgo kicks in when team is in need

By todd traub

Leader sports editor

Cabot has gotten its share of kicks in its latest winning season.

The Panthers have had their share of kickers too.

Senior Will Hidalgo is the third place kicker to take the field with Cabot after senior Logan Spry was injured and sophomore Jesus Marquez hit a slump. Hidalgo, a standout soccer player, joined the team after a successful tryout and got his first action in the 54-20 victory at Little Rock Central on Oct. 15.

“We found him halfway through the season and he’s done a tremendous job,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “Kickoffs, extra points, even hit a field goal Friday night.”

Hidalgo caught on with Cabot in time to help the Panthers to a share of the 7A/6A-Central Conference championship and their 7A state playoff berth as the No. 3 seed from the Central.

The Panthers (9-2) play in the second round at Fort Smith Southside on Friday.

“I heard that they were in need of an extra kicker,” Hidalgo said. “I just rose to the cause to help the school out.”

Hidalgo kicked a 38-yard field goal in the first half of Friday’s 31-13, first-round playoff victory over Rogers Heritage.

Malham said the three points, which ended up being the last of the game, could have been critical because Heritage would need three scores to catch up. With the Panthers’ ball control running game, 

Malham said, they were in effect running out the clock on their third possession of the scoreless second half.

“Two scores, nobody’s ever out of the game,” Malham said. “You score, you get the onside kick. Boom.”

“It was my second field goal ever,” Hidalgo said. “The first one I missed because I got under it. I was a little bit more confident this time and luckily I made it.”

Spry had all-state potential but an abdominal injury, which is aggravated by the kicking motion, has relegated him to the defensive secondary.

Marquez had quality outings, and Malham has faith he is Cabot’s kicker of the future, but as a sophomore he doesn’t have the leg strength and touchback range of Hidalgo. Marquez also began to struggle with extra points.

“He’s a sophomore. He filled in there,” Malham said. “He was a little inconsistent. Didn’t do a bad job. 

When he finally did falter was when we had a little leeway there with Central.”

Malham expects Marquez to become more consistent with practice next year and add distance to his kicks with additional work and strength training. Marquez, far from having his confidence destroyed, expects the same.

“You’ll be back for me next year,” he said to a reporter visiting practice to talk to Hidalgo on Monday.

But in the meantime, the job belongs to Hidalgo, who came to the football tryout at the urging of Cabot soccer coach and football assistant Clark Bing, who invited a few of his stronger-legged players.

“When Logan went down we were concerned,” Malham said. “Really we’re in pretty good shape now. 

He’s doing a good job for a kid who never kicked a football until the fifth week of the season.”

Not only has Hidalgo never kicked a football before, he has never played the game.

He said more than the shape of the ball is different than in soccer; football kicking also requires different mechanics.

“You have to kick a lot higher up on the ball,” Hidalgo said. “And as a soccer player you have to kick under and I was so used to kicking under that it was kind of hard for me to process in my brain.”

He said his worst kick, other than his missed field goal, was his first on a kickoff at Central.

“I was really nervous,” Hidalgo said. “I think we got offsides on the first kick because I didn’t kick it. I was so nervous. But after that, it kind of went smooth.”

Though he has belatedly become a part of Cabot football tradition — the Panthers beat Southside for the AAAAA state championship in 2000 and reached the state semifinals last year — Hidalgo said he was thrilled to be in on the playoff action.

“I’ve never been a part of that so it’s pretty special to me,” he said. “Right now I’m pretty happy about it.”

SPORTS>>Cabot’s girls turn up pressure, take win over Lonoke

By Jason king

Leader sportswriter

The Cabot Lady Panthers put their talented underclassmen and deep bench to work against Lonoke in a 65-32 victory in the first round of the Wendy’s/Baptist Health Invitational at Little Rock Hall High School on Monday.

The Lady Jackrabbits (1-1) struggled with Cabot’s team speed and full-court press in the first half and surrendered seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes of a format that featured two, 16-minute halves.

Once Lonoke improved its ball protection, Cabot (1-0) simply went inside to consistent sophomore post player Elliot Taylor, who scored 10 points in the first half and another 10 in the second to lead all scorers andfinish with 20 total points.

“We were glad to get a win,” Lady Panthers coach Carla Crowder said. “We’ve got to do a lot of stuff better, but Lonoke lost a lot last year, and they really work hard.”

Cabot’s outside shooting success was limited, but the Lady Panthers went full throttle with their transition game to jump to a 9-0 lead four minutes in, and they continued the pressure to extend the lead to 16-1 with 9:19 left in the first half.

Crowder said she wants to see improvement in the transition game but she was pleased the Lady Panthers forced turnovers.

“Our kids worked real hard on it,” she said. “We just have to work and get better each game.”

Lonoke had fewer players on its roster than players who scored for Cabot.

A total of 11 Lady Panthers found the basket, including junior Melissa Wolff, who had seven points in limited play.

Wolff also led the full-court defensive charge in the opening minutes with four steals, two of which she passed for assists and two more she took to the goal herself.

Wolff’s steal and feed to Kaki Thomas gave the Lady Panthers a 12-0 lead, and her fullcourt effort with 7:19 left in the first half put them up 18-6.

“With the kids that we’ve got, we’ve got to get the right combination for everything,” Lonoke coach Nathan Morris said.

“We’re going to have to be tougher mentally and physically, and get in a little bit better shape. We have to do the fundamental things right that they didn’t allow us to do.

“We didn’t block out very well, and they were very aggressive to the boards. Their pressure bothered us and got us real tired. They got into our legs. That’s a great, young ball club over there that’s going to do great things. We played a very good team tonight.”

Senior guard Cara Neighbors scored 13 points to lead the Lady Jackrabbits, but found the going tough early.

She had one field goal and three free throws at halftime, and started the second half with another pair of free throws that made it 36-17.

Emily Howell added six points for Lonoke.

“We’re going to be okay down the stretch,” Morris said. “You need nights like this every once in a while. It keeps you in check and lets you know what you need to work on for the rest of the year.

“We’ve not shied away from what we’re trying to do. We’ll play three games here this week. If that doesn’t get us in shape, nothing will.”

Lonoke’s halftime adjustments seemed to slow Cabot’s attack, but there was no strategy for Taylor, who scored under the basket almost at will.

Sydney Wacker joined Taylor in the early minutes of the second half with all four of her points inside, but Taylor was the go-to player in the lane.

Lonoke’s Kaitlyn Tate was the only scorer to interrupt Taylor’s six-point streak midway through the second half.

That put Cabot up 57-28, and a basket by Hilary Russell with 3:55 left finally triggered the sportsmanship/timing rule and started the continuously running clock.

Lonoke’s next tournament game will be 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and Cabot will play again at 8:30 p.m.

After reachng the state championship game for three consecutive seasons, Lonoke lost to Prairie Grove in the semifinals of last year’s 4A state tournament. Cabot lost in the first round of the 7A tournament.

SPORTS>>Panthers, Rebels headed for runoff

By todd traub

Leader sports editor

The Cabot Panthers are hoping they haven’t played their last home game.

Cabot beat Rogers Heritage 31-13 in the first round of the 7A state playoffs at Panther Stadium on Friday. The victory sets up this week’s quarterfinal game at Fort Smith Southside.

“They’re the No. 2 seed up there of course,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “If we’re lucky enough to win it we might could get the semis back here if Fayetteville beats West Memphis.”

Having a home playoff with a berth in the state final at stake would be a plus for Cabot, but there is the little matter of Southside now that the postseason field has been whittled to eight.

“After the first round of the playoffs, if there are any weak sisters in it they’re going to be gone,” Malham said.

Last week the Panthers (9-2) overcame early fumbles to score 24 points in the second quarter against Heritage, and then they shut out the War Eagles in a scoreless second half. On defense, Greg Phelps and Mason James each got an interception and Ethan Covington recovered a fumble.

“They played some pretty good people up there,” Malham said of Heritage (4-7), which plays in the 7A West Conference and was the No. 6 seed. “I was just tickled we played pretty good on both sides of the ball.”

Cabot, the No. 3 seed, rushed for 417 yards behind six players who gained 40 or more.

While the Panthers like to stick to the ground in their Dead T offense and are satisfied if they gain 3.5 yards a play, they turned in a pair of explosive runs against Heritage. Rod Quinn scored on a 70-yard tight-end reverse and James Haley gained 59 yards to set up a score when the Panthers tricked the War Eagles on a fumblerooski.

The trick play may have worked so well because Cabot committed fumbles to end two of its first three possessions.

“We fumbled the possessions away, that kind of got me worried there and we finally got it in synch,” Malham said. “I think the next four or five times we had it, we put points on the board.”

While Cabot didn’t score in the second half it also kept Heritage out of the end zone and turned in a long drive that made the clock turn against the War Eagles.

“Really, the third time we got it we were running the clock out,” Malham said.

The victory was all the more gratifying because the Panthers were without several key players who were injured. The group includes starting quarterback Zach Craig who is out for the season with a knee injury and has been replaced by Bryson Morris.

At the first of the week Malham wasn’t sure how many of the injured players would be ready to go Friday.

“If they are, that’s a bonus. If not we’ll continue to continue on,” Malham said.

Malham said the fumbles, one of which came on the center-quarterback exchange, were a concern. But it was possible to chalk the problem up to Morris, who began the season on defense after contending for the quarterback job in preseason, and his teammates getting their timing down.

“It’s something you do every day all week long in practice,” Malham said. “You don’t have any problems. You’ve got to be the same way in a game.”

Overall, Malham said, Morris played well.

“We missed a handoff. I don’t know if that was nerves or not,” Malham said. “I thought Bryson did a good job overall. We ran the option well.”

In 2000, Cabot beat Southside, 28-21, in the AAAAA state championship at War Memorial Stadium. This year’s Rebels like to run the ball, perhaps not quite as much as the Panthers but more than many of the Spread offense teams in the 7A-West, Malham said.

“We’re not real big on defense and they’ve got some big, tough running backs,” Malham said. “It’s going to be probably who can win the trenches. Of course they think they can move it pretty good on the ground and we feel the same way.

“If it works out that way, it won’t be a very long game, that’s for sure.”

If Fayetteville cooperates by beating West Memphis, and Cabot can leave the mistakes at home, Malham likes the Panthers’ chances of returning home for a semifinal.

“We’ve just got to take a three- hour trip, we’ve got to focus in and play hard,” Malham said.

“The same old scenario. Hopefully we don’t help them. If we can stay away from the fumbles and the penalties that kill drives and the defense doesn’t give up any big plays, we’ll have a chance to win it.”

SPORTS>>Wildcats hit home field as Bulldogs board bus

By Jason king

Leader sportswriter

The second round of the Class 3A state playoffs will have local flavor Friday when Bald Knob travels 12 miles south to play the Harding Academy Wildcats at First Security Stadium.

Harding Academy (9-1) had a first-round bye after winning its second straight, 2-3A Conference championship with a perfect run through its conference. Bald Knob (9-2) had an easy time with Lafayette County in its first-round playoff game on Friday and advanced to the second round with a 56-20 victory.

Friday’s matchup is not only a game between teams in close proximity but also with similar offensive philosophies. Harding Academy and Bald Knob are both Spread formation teams.

“They throw the ball well,” Wildcats coach Roddy Mote said. “When they do run, they run well. They’re also very good up front, so it’s hard to find a weakness on that offense. Defensively, they run to the ball well. They’re a good football team.”

The Wildcats’ only loss of the season came in Week 2 against Heber Springs, which lost to the Bulldogs the following week.

Harding Academy opened the season by getting revenge on Fountain Lake in a 28-20 victory after the Cobras knocked the Wildcatsout of the semifinals last year. The Wildcats finished their tough non-conference schedule with an 8-6 victory over former conference rival Des Arc.

There were few challenges for Harding Academy after that.

The Wildcats dominated the 2-3A Conference, winning by an average margin of just over 31 points, including a 37-7 rout of crosstown rival Riverview that essentially decided the conference in Week 8.

“We played a competitive non-conference schedule,” Mote said. “And we played a lot of our tougher conference teams early on. We’re glad to be in the position we’re in; of course, every team still left are good teams. We’re just glad to be one of them.”

The Bulldogs continue to build on the success of their 2009 campaign, which was also their last season in Class 4A.

Bald Knob won 13 consecutive games and claimed the 2-4A Conference title outright before falling to eventual champs Shiloh Christian in the semifinals. It was the first time in school history Bald Knob reached the semifinals.

Despite losing key players from that team, including three-year starter Nick Glaze, who played as a receiver as an underclassman before taking over as quarterback his senior year, the Bulldogs have still played explosive football this year.

Sophomore quarterback Cordell Crisp has proven to be a suitable replacement for Glaze by averaging just over 310 passing yards a game.

While Crisp is still developing a reputation as a big-time quarterback, Wildcats senior Seth Keese has been in that category since his sophomore season.

Keese started slowly after spending much of the offseason recovering from a torn anterior- cruciate ligament suffered in last year’s semifinal, but eventually built the kind of numbers many expected from him.

Through 10 games, Keese is 126 of 189 for 1,538 yards and 15 touchdowns with only three interceptions and a completion percentage of just over 66 percent.

Keese also leads the Wildcats in rushing with 98 carries for 895 yards and 14 touchdowns for 2,433 total yards.

“Seth’s had a great year,” Mote said. “He’s been very efficient. He’s done a great job of managing the offense, and he’s done a great job on defense also.”

With Bald Knob sitting less than 15 miles to the north, Mote expects a great crowd for both programs this week.

“Honestly, it’s two good football teams from White County,” Mote said. “It’s probably going to be a great atmosphere for high-school football. We’re playing at our place, and we’re just hoping for a good evening.”

SPORTS>>Red Devils find plus in playoffs

By todd traub

Leader sports editor

Thanks to its latest victory, Jacksonville has an immediate football future.

But with each success, the Red Devils are able to think long-term too.

A year after finishing with two victories, Jacksonville got its seventh last week, beating Sheridan 31-7 in the first round of the 6A state playoffs. The Red Devils will play the Pine Bluff Zebras in the second round at Pine Bluff on Friday.

“It’s really exciting today,” coach Rick Russell said before Monday’s practice. “There’s nothing like a playoff victory. Not a conference victory or a non-conference victory or a big win like Searcy. It’s a tournament, so when you get that win it’s special.”

The victory was another notch in the holster for the former defensive coordinator Russell, who returned to the program this season after one year away at North Pulaski.

But even more so, Russell said, the playoff victory was a coup for the Red Devils program.

“There’s a tremendous upside in getting to the playoffs and winning in the playoffs,” Russell said, when the comparison was made between the high school postseason and college bowl games. “In college it’s more of a reward. In high school it’s more an achievement thing.

“We’re one of the best teams in the conference and in the state. Let’s see where we fit into that top eight or that top four.”

One of the long-term benefits, other than the obvious one of putting the Red Devils program in a positive light, is being able to get younger players involved sooner.

Since the junior high teams are through and the senior Devils are still practicing, Russell has been able to bring seventh- and eighth-graders over to watch workouts and get a feel for what will be expected of them in a couple of years.

And the coaching staff has been able to get some actualplaying time for some of Max Hatfield’s ninth-graders.

“I’d say 8 to 10 of them got to play Friday night,” Russell said. “And they got to see the speed of the game and be motivated for their high school career.”

Motivation hasn’t been a problem for the varsity players. There were a couple of first-half turnovers for the Red Devils to overcome, but Russell didn’t see any evidence of nerves or tightness.

“We stressed all week we’ve got to win the football game Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in our practices,” Russell said. “The kids were focused and they knew what to expect from Sheridan and how to attack offensively and defensively. They were ready for 7 o’clock to get here.

“It was very rewarding, especially for the kids. They were ready to play. Especially for the seniors. They wanted to leave Jan Crow Stadium in a positive way.”

Against Pine Bluff (9-1), the No 2 seed from the 6A-South, Russell knows he will be facing a good team, well rested from its first-round bye and playing at home.

“Probably their base offense is the I but they’ll run some slot wing stuff and then they’ll run your basic I offense. They have some big linemen. They run the football probably 90 percent of the time. A little option, a power type football team.

“They’re 9-1. They do that really well.”

Russell said the Red Devils’ objective on defense will be to shift around on the front line and try to get penetration to disrupt plays before they can develop, which is pretty much Jacksonville’s style anyway.

Pine Bluff runs a 4-3, read-and-react style of defense. Russell said his offense would try to spread the Zebras out and attack where they are stretched the thinnest.

None of that is expected to be easy. But Russell said the playoffs have reached that point in which anything can happen.

“There’s only 25 percent of the football teams in Arkansas left and we’re in that 25 percent and we’re excited about that,” he said.

“We feel like we’re going to have a chance in every ballgame. The playoffs, it’s not the better team record-wise or on paper, it’s the better team that night.”

SPORTS>>Scribner takes career forward as new Trojan

By todd traub

Leader sports editor

It is likely that Lonoke standout Asiah Scribner won’t get a lot of playing time at UALR this season.

But that’s a good thing — for Scribner and the Trojans.

UALR opened the year with a home game against Davidson on Friday trying to build on a landmark 2009-10 season that saw the Trojans win their third consecutive Sun Belt Conference West Division championship and reach the NCAA Tournament for the program’s first time.

UALR (27-7, 17-1 last season) upset Georgia Tech in the first round before falling to Oklahoma and returns four players who started last year, including preseason conference player of the year Chastity Reed.

The lone departed starter is Cabot guard Kim Sitzmann, playing professionally overseas after graduating, so that probably means Scribner will be biding her time behind the veterans.

“She’s done well,” UALR coach Joe Foley said. “It’s hard to evaluate right now because there are six freshmen and she’s playing with five other freshmen and seven upperclassmen.

“And of those upperclassmen there are four starters coming back. They’re playing against a darn good basketball team every day.”

Scribner made three 4A state finals appearances with Lonoke and helped the Lady Jackrabbits to the semifinals last season. She averaged 16.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game and was selected The Leader player of the year.

She signed with UALR a year ago during the early NCAA signing period.

“Asiah has got a lot of athletic ability,” Foley said. “She’s a good-sized kid. Long arms, a long kid. That’s her attributes. She’s a very good athlete, a very smart kid. She’s catching on quick.”

Foley finds himself where most successful coaches would like to be, in charge of a program with overlapping classes of veteran returnees and talented newcomers. That gives him the option of letting the young players practice and learn while the upperclassmen carry the show.

“That’s exactly it,” Foley said. “For years we’ve been having to bring kids in every year and they have to come in and start immediately. We kind of had to grow them and we’re not having to do that this year for the first time.”

Foley said Scribner, 6-1, who already knows how to play close to the basket and projects as a No. 4 player, could use the extra time to work on her outside shot.

“She gets that down it will open up a lot for her,” Foley said.

And Scribner, like most recruits out of high school, must adapt to UALR’s motion offense, something Foley has favored since his days at NCAA Division II Arkansas Tech.

“The hardest thing is being able to play all over the floor,” Foley said. “Asiah’s played inside her whole high school career. Just like most kids she’s been assigned a spot and now all of a sudden they have freedom to play all over the floor.

“You’ve got o keep great spacing and know who to screen for. That’s very hard for a kid.”

But Foley expects Scribner to grow into her role and grow within the Trojans’ offense and the college game.

“I think she has a chance to be a very good college player,” Foley said. “She’s an extremely good worker, an extremely good kid and we’re tickled to death to have her.”