By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Lightning shortened Friday’s meeting between Cabot and Catholic High with the Panthers leading 28-7.
The Panthers dominated most of the first half in their home opener, but the tide had started to change and the weather interrupted play on a crucial fourth-down play.
Catholic had fourth and 2 at the Cabot 8-yard line when the stadium was cleared. After a nearly 90-minute delay, the rest of the game was canceled.
The Panthers got off to a fast start, scoring the first 28 points of the game. Catholic did not stop a single Cabot drive in the first half. The Panthers had four possessions and scored four touchdowns.
Two were long runs on double handoffs to halfback Max Carroll.
The senior got his first carry of the game on the fifth play. The inside handoff went to Chris Henry, who handed it to Carroll going the other way. The play fooled the entire Catholic defense and Carroll raced 63 yards untouched with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
Cabot’s defense gave up one first down on the Rockets’ first drive, but forced a punt and got the ball back on its own 6-yard line.
The Panthers ate up chunks of yardage for the first five plays, moving the ball out to the Catholic 41-yard line. That’s when the double handoff was called again.
This time it only fooled 10 of the Rockets’ 11 defenders, but Carroll outran his man to the end zone. Jesus Marquez’s extra point made it 14-0 with 5:41 left in the first quarter.
Catholic committed its first major mistake on offense on its next drive, and it came on the heels of its best play to that point.
Quarterback Zach Pinter found receiver Jacob Currence for a 34-yard gain, but Cur-rence fumbled while being tackled. Cabot’s Matt Griffin picked the ball up at the Cabot 44 and returned it to the Catholic 34.
Halfback Chris Henry went 20 yards on first down. Fullback Kyle Edgar got 11 on the next play and Zach Launius got the last three for another Cabot touchdown. The extra-point made it 21-0 with 3:55 still left in the opening quarter.
Catholic put together a nice drive and Cabot had no answer for the Rocket passing game. The Rockets drove to the Panther 8-yard line, but defensive back Jacob Ferguson intercepted a Pinter pass in the back corner of the end zone to give the Panthers possession at the Rockets’ 20.
There were no big plays on Cabot’s next drive, just a methodical march down the field. The Panthers converted three third down plays and one fourth-down attempt.
Max Carroll took the option pitch 7 yards on third and 8. Quarterback Kason Kimbrell then kept the ball for 3 yards on fourth down.
Kyle Edgar got 6 yards on first and goal from the 7, and Launius did the rest. The drive took 17 plays and ate up eight minutes of clock. The extra point made it 28-0 with 4:57 remaining until halftime.
That’s when Catholic made its move. The Rockets went almost exclusively to the air and Cabot couldn’t stop it. They marched 86 yards in 10 plays, using just more than three minutes to get into the end zone.
The final play was an 18-yard pass to Currence. Cabot was also called for pass interference on the play, which was assessed on the kickoff.
Kicking off from the Cabot 45, Catholic elected try an onside kick and covered it at the Panther 32-yard line. Two Catholic penalties forced the Rockets into a fourth-and-13 situation, but they converted it when Pinter hit Hamaker for a 19-yard gain at the 16-yard line with 28 seconds left in the half.
Two incomplete passes were followed by a Pinter draw play that gained 8, setting up fourth and 2 at the Cabot 8-yard line with 7 seconds remaining. That’s when the stadium was cleared due to the weather.
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Friday, September 07, 2012
TOP STORY >> Fat Albert: Uplifting flight
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
A C-130 of a different color will be flying in the skies over Jacksonville this weekend during the Little Rock Air Force Base air show.
The Blue Angels will be showing off the maximum performance of Fat Albert, a slightly modified C-130 T-model flown by Marines.
On Friday, I was able to hitch a ride. The cargo hull of Fat Albert looks like most C-130s, except the red mesh cargo net seats are replaced with cushy blue ones.
The Fat Albert crew worked at getting the passengers pumped up for the ride.
The excitement built as the plane’s rear-cargo ramp doors closed as we taxied down the flight line.
We were told the flight would simulate a hostile flying environment. It was 20 tough minutes. We were told in a pre-flight meeting the C-130 would fly low, gaining speed, then pull up hard to a 45-degree climb, until the plane lost speed and wanted to drop from the sky.
Then the pilot would level it out and accelerate. Fat Albert would make several steeply banked turns.
Then the plane would be forced nose down at a 25-degree angle for a landing.
The ride didn’t seem that easy. It felt like the start of a regular C-130 flight with the slow taxiing bounces of the runaway.
The engines roared as we lifted a few feet in the air, then an increasingly crushing force pressed me down as the plane angled upward.
My camera felt like I was lifting a bowling ball as I tried to take a photo against the 2-Gs the planes was pulling.
As the plane leveled out, the passengers tightly buckled in, we watched as the flight crew grabbed hold of a ladder strapped to the floor.
Then it felt like jumping a car over a hill, only better. We went zero gravity for a few seconds.
It’s an unusual sensation to go from feeling like you’re going to be smashed down through the bottom of the plane, then bubble up seeing people floating and feeling weightless, then go into negative G’s with the feeling of being pulled away.
Looking out the window was a blur of brown, green and blue. I didn’t look out too often. I didn’t want to get sick.
Then I started looking at some of the other riders, and they were feeling the same way. We soon began the fast, steep descent until I felt a bump and smelled burning rubber from the tires touching down.
But we all pulled through and no one got sick. It was a ride I soon won’t forget.
The Blue Angels began flying Fat Albert in the 1970s. The plane was affectionately named after the popular Bill Cosby cartoon of the time.
Once a year, Fat Albert makes a stop at the LRAFB rail shop to service the dual-rail system in the cargo area.
Staff Sgt. Casey Brey, a loadmaster on Fat Albert, said this C-130 was built in 1991 and has been used by the Blue Angels since 2001.
The C-130 carries thousands of pounds of cargo and 45 crew members for the Blue Angels each week from mid-March to November, performing at 35 shows and 65 demonstrations.
The crew consists three pilots, two flight engineers, one flight mechanic, one navigator and a loadmaster.
Brey came to LRAFB 10 years ago and trained at the loadmaster school.
Flight mechanic Jim Fullarton said, “I have an awesome time at this job. It is an extraordinary opportunity,”flight mechanic Jim Fullarton said.
Leader staff writer
A C-130 of a different color will be flying in the skies over Jacksonville this weekend during the Little Rock Air Force Base air show.
The Blue Angels will be showing off the maximum performance of Fat Albert, a slightly modified C-130 T-model flown by Marines.
On Friday, I was able to hitch a ride. The cargo hull of Fat Albert looks like most C-130s, except the red mesh cargo net seats are replaced with cushy blue ones.
The Fat Albert crew worked at getting the passengers pumped up for the ride.
The excitement built as the plane’s rear-cargo ramp doors closed as we taxied down the flight line.
We were told the flight would simulate a hostile flying environment. It was 20 tough minutes. We were told in a pre-flight meeting the C-130 would fly low, gaining speed, then pull up hard to a 45-degree climb, until the plane lost speed and wanted to drop from the sky.
Then the pilot would level it out and accelerate. Fat Albert would make several steeply banked turns.
Then the plane would be forced nose down at a 25-degree angle for a landing.
The ride didn’t seem that easy. It felt like the start of a regular C-130 flight with the slow taxiing bounces of the runaway.
The engines roared as we lifted a few feet in the air, then an increasingly crushing force pressed me down as the plane angled upward.
My camera felt like I was lifting a bowling ball as I tried to take a photo against the 2-Gs the planes was pulling.
As the plane leveled out, the passengers tightly buckled in, we watched as the flight crew grabbed hold of a ladder strapped to the floor.
Then it felt like jumping a car over a hill, only better. We went zero gravity for a few seconds.
It’s an unusual sensation to go from feeling like you’re going to be smashed down through the bottom of the plane, then bubble up seeing people floating and feeling weightless, then go into negative G’s with the feeling of being pulled away.
Looking out the window was a blur of brown, green and blue. I didn’t look out too often. I didn’t want to get sick.
Then I started looking at some of the other riders, and they were feeling the same way. We soon began the fast, steep descent until I felt a bump and smelled burning rubber from the tires touching down.
But we all pulled through and no one got sick. It was a ride I soon won’t forget.
The Blue Angels began flying Fat Albert in the 1970s. The plane was affectionately named after the popular Bill Cosby cartoon of the time.
Once a year, Fat Albert makes a stop at the LRAFB rail shop to service the dual-rail system in the cargo area.
Staff Sgt. Casey Brey, a loadmaster on Fat Albert, said this C-130 was built in 1991 and has been used by the Blue Angels since 2001.
The C-130 carries thousands of pounds of cargo and 45 crew members for the Blue Angels each week from mid-March to November, performing at 35 shows and 65 demonstrations.
The crew consists three pilots, two flight engineers, one flight mechanic, one navigator and a loadmaster.
Brey came to LRAFB 10 years ago and trained at the loadmaster school.
Flight mechanic Jim Fullarton said, “I have an awesome time at this job. It is an extraordinary opportunity,”flight mechanic Jim Fullarton said.
TOP STORY >> ‘Rock and Role’ for everyone
By JONATHAN FELDMAN
Leader editor
The Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council’s new Rock and Role campaign will take center stage at this weekend’s air show and open house when an estimated 250,000 people visit.
Merchandise that promotes the importance of the air base to Arkansas will be available on the flight line in a booth near the commanders’ tent. T-shirts, tumblers, decals, patches, dog tags and collapsible water bottles with the Rock and Role logo will be sold to promote the base, which contributes about $700 million to the state’s economy every year.
“There’s just a great relationship between the base and community. There’s something that makes this place unique,” said Roger Sundermeier Jr., of First Arkansas Bank and Trust, who developed the Rock & Role brand.
The community’s connection to the base has been honored twice with the Abilene Trophy, which annually recognizes a community that provides the “finest support” to an Air Mobility Command unit.
The LRAFB Community Council won the trophy in 2010 and again this year.
The Rock and Role logo, which features an outline of Arkansas behind two C-130 planes, says, “The Little Rock Difference” and asks, “What’s Your Role?”
“ROLE” stands for Responsive, One Team, Leading and Excellence.
“The base can be a model for how we go forward,” Sundermeir said.
The branding strategy already seems to be working. When the Blue Angels landed on Thursday, its pilots and crewmembers wanted Rock and Role merchandise, said Sundermeier, who is marketing director at First Arkansas.
“It’s kind of cool. The Blue Angels will have shirts designed in Jacksonville,” he said.
The idea for “the Little Rock difference” came from Col. Mike Minihan, former commander of the 19th Airlift Wing. A committee headed by Larry Wilson, president and chief executive officer of First Arkansas Bank, came up with the concept over the last six weeks.
Leader editor
The Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council’s new Rock and Role campaign will take center stage at this weekend’s air show and open house when an estimated 250,000 people visit.
Merchandise that promotes the importance of the air base to Arkansas will be available on the flight line in a booth near the commanders’ tent. T-shirts, tumblers, decals, patches, dog tags and collapsible water bottles with the Rock and Role logo will be sold to promote the base, which contributes about $700 million to the state’s economy every year.
“There’s just a great relationship between the base and community. There’s something that makes this place unique,” said Roger Sundermeier Jr., of First Arkansas Bank and Trust, who developed the Rock & Role brand.
The community’s connection to the base has been honored twice with the Abilene Trophy, which annually recognizes a community that provides the “finest support” to an Air Mobility Command unit.
The LRAFB Community Council won the trophy in 2010 and again this year.
The Rock and Role logo, which features an outline of Arkansas behind two C-130 planes, says, “The Little Rock Difference” and asks, “What’s Your Role?”
“ROLE” stands for Responsive, One Team, Leading and Excellence.
“The base can be a model for how we go forward,” Sundermeir said.
The branding strategy already seems to be working. When the Blue Angels landed on Thursday, its pilots and crewmembers wanted Rock and Role merchandise, said Sundermeier, who is marketing director at First Arkansas.
“It’s kind of cool. The Blue Angels will have shirts designed in Jacksonville,” he said.
The idea for “the Little Rock difference” came from Col. Mike Minihan, former commander of the 19th Airlift Wing. A committee headed by Larry Wilson, president and chief executive officer of First Arkansas Bank, came up with the concept over the last six weeks.
TOP STORY >> Blue Angels aim high
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
The Navy Blue Angels coasted to a stop on the flight line at Little Rock Air Force Base on Thursday morning, but not before showing off a few stunts.
They are headlining the 2012 Heritage and Heroes Open House and Air Show today and Sunday. The show starts at 10 a.m.
Capt. Greg McWherter, a native of Atlanta, emerged from the No. 1 jet Thursday and started sweating bullets from the intense sunshine and humidity that greeted the pilots.
He is the “Boss,” the commanding officer for the Blue Angels. The chief of naval air training selects the “Boss,” who must have commanded a tactical jet squadron and have at least 3,000 tactical jet flight hours.
McWherter joined the Blue Angels in 2008 and was here for the show that year. He has been in the Navy for 22 years.
McWherter explained how the Blue Angels do what they do.
He said, “Most people associate the Blue Angels with six demonstration pilots. We’re actually 130 sailors and Marines all working together nonstop to put on the great show that they’re going to see this weekend and we practice the building blocks. Whether it’s the pilots or the maintainers, we learn some of the very basic techniques. We refine them and tweak them to give them a little bit more entertainment value. But basically, the same things you’ll see out here this weekend are things any Navy and Marine Corps aviator can do given the extra training. You ask how we do it.
“(The answer is) a lot of focus, teamwork and trust and tons of practice.“
McWherter said the air show has many functions.
“It’s education, recruiting and really along the way we want to hopefully inspire folks to get fired up about what we do in the Navy and the Marine Corps. When it comes to education, the average taxpayer doesn’t get a chance to go out to an aircraft carrier or ride in a tank, and they don’t get a chance to see firsthand what their sailors and Marines are doing on a daily basis,” he said.
“We can be in their backyard doing an air show and show them firsthand that pride and professionalism. That’s a great way to pay back the American taxpayer,” McWherter continued.
He said the best thing about the show is meeting and greeting the audience, which is expected to be 250,000 people strong.
“We love flying. We love visiting the community, but my favorite part of every air show is talking to folks in the crowd before and after the show. It’s a lot of fun. The questions you get from folks young and old is just amazing. It gets you excited. You forget how neat the U.S. military is for folks who don’t see it on a daily basis,” McWherter said.
He added that being at LRAFB is something special
“We send our C-130 aircraft here to get modifications and work done on repairs every year. We really rely on the men and women on this base to help us accomplish our mission. It’s really great to be able to bring our team here to show them what they’re supporting. That is fantastic,” McWherter said.
Petty Officer First Class Jeremy Green, a native of Hope, was happy to be back in his home state. This is his second year with the Blue Angels, working on life-support systems, such as ejector seats and oxygen tanks.
Green said, “There’s nothing more exciting then getting to come home. I grew up on a farm and trying to explain the things I do in the Navy is a little hard. So they can come out here and see. ‘Oh, OK, there’s a jet, I see what he’s talking about.’ Pulling chalks out from under the tires, you know things like that.”
Green said his job is “fun. It becomes second nature.”
Being with the Blue Angels has required him to do things that aren’t related to life support, such as engine changes. That kind of work requires four people, he said.
Green said he joined the Blue Angels because “who wouldn’t want to?”
He continued, “The best part of the whole show, for me, is when we get to stand out front and you know you’re right there in front of the friends and family section and they announce your name and where you’re from. It makes you feel proud.”
Green joked that his family and friends probably wouldn’t make it to Saturday’s performance because they will be going to the Razorbacks game.
He comes back home at least twice a year to hunt and fish. His 7-year-old daughter, Allison, likes squirrel hunting, Green said.
Being enlisted has its challenges, he said.
“The hardest thing for me was I did an eight-month deployment on the U.S.S. Roosevelt early in my career. When I left my daughter, she was six months old, and she was just getting to where she could take her first step. She was walking early, and I think she did it for me. The hardest thing was just the thought of her learning and growing and not being there to see it,” Green said.
Service members interested in being Blue Angels have to apply for the job.
McWherter said, “We’re very selective about who we pick. We think that every sailor and Marine can do this. They all bring an incredible amount of skill. They bring a passion for serving their country and an incredible gift for telling the story about what the Navy and Marine Corps do.
“But (what is) most important for us is the team dynamic. We need to bring people to this team who help contribute to a very healthy team environment. We spend the better part of 300 to 320 days a year together on the road traveling. We have to get along. Everything we do is based on trust and teamwork,” he said.
As for the weather, McWherter said it does play a role in how the Blue Angels prepare for an event.
“As a commanding officer, I think about how it affects the entire team. As our men and women are out here working on the aircrafts day in and day out, we want to make sure they can get out of the sunshine and have plenty of water. The hotter it is the more fatigue sets in and the more we worry about dehydration. Jets generally like cool, clean, calm air,” he said.
This year, McWherter said, the military is commemorating the War of 1812 bicentennial.
“Two hundred years ago our country went to war to defend open access to the seas and that was the first time the American public saw the vital importance of a strong Navy,” he said.
“The interesting thing is that 200 years later, we’re still fighting piracy on the open seas. We’re still combating terrorism and fighting for freedom around the globe. The same boldness, ingenuity and courage that defined our sailors and Marines 200 years ago still resonates in the sailors and Marines you’ll see this weekend,” McWherter said.
He said performing in an air show is “like riding a roller coaster. Your body gets used to it. It’s a very strenuous workout.”
Even the Blue Angels’ uniforms have a purpose, McWherter said.
“It’s a traditional uniform. We like it. You get kind of used to it. We represent the Navy and Marine Corps. We all need to be in uniform. We need to look fit. This uniform makes you stay in shape,” he said with a laugh.
McWherter didn’t become interested in the Blue Angels until later in his career when a friend suggested he apply for a position with them. But he knew what he wanted to do with his life at an early age.
“I grew up loving all things aviation. I think I was a standard kid. Things that went fast and made noise excited me. When I was in high school, I saw a movie called ‘Top Gun’ and I said, ‘That’s it. I want to go out to an aircraft carrier. I want to be a naval aviator, shoot some missiles, drop some bombs, do all that,’” McWherter said.
The lineup for both days, in order, is the Canadian Skyhawks, Mike Rinker, the Canadian Force’s CF-18, the flash fire jet truck, John Klatt Airshows, Airfield Seizure (AR National Guard, USASOC Black Daggers/C-130 Cargo Drop/Mass Paratrooper Drop), the Ladies for Liberty, the Air Combat Command Heritage Flight (F-4/P-47), Otto, Mike Rinker again, the U.S. Navy Super Hornet, John Klatt Airshows-Max Adrenaline, the DAV B-25, Fat Albert and the Blue Angels.
Leader staff writer
The Navy Blue Angels coasted to a stop on the flight line at Little Rock Air Force Base on Thursday morning, but not before showing off a few stunts.
They are headlining the 2012 Heritage and Heroes Open House and Air Show today and Sunday. The show starts at 10 a.m.
Capt. Greg McWherter, a native of Atlanta, emerged from the No. 1 jet Thursday and started sweating bullets from the intense sunshine and humidity that greeted the pilots.
He is the “Boss,” the commanding officer for the Blue Angels. The chief of naval air training selects the “Boss,” who must have commanded a tactical jet squadron and have at least 3,000 tactical jet flight hours.
McWherter joined the Blue Angels in 2008 and was here for the show that year. He has been in the Navy for 22 years.
McWherter explained how the Blue Angels do what they do.
He said, “Most people associate the Blue Angels with six demonstration pilots. We’re actually 130 sailors and Marines all working together nonstop to put on the great show that they’re going to see this weekend and we practice the building blocks. Whether it’s the pilots or the maintainers, we learn some of the very basic techniques. We refine them and tweak them to give them a little bit more entertainment value. But basically, the same things you’ll see out here this weekend are things any Navy and Marine Corps aviator can do given the extra training. You ask how we do it.
“(The answer is) a lot of focus, teamwork and trust and tons of practice.“
McWherter said the air show has many functions.
“It’s education, recruiting and really along the way we want to hopefully inspire folks to get fired up about what we do in the Navy and the Marine Corps. When it comes to education, the average taxpayer doesn’t get a chance to go out to an aircraft carrier or ride in a tank, and they don’t get a chance to see firsthand what their sailors and Marines are doing on a daily basis,” he said.
“We can be in their backyard doing an air show and show them firsthand that pride and professionalism. That’s a great way to pay back the American taxpayer,” McWherter continued.
He said the best thing about the show is meeting and greeting the audience, which is expected to be 250,000 people strong.
“We love flying. We love visiting the community, but my favorite part of every air show is talking to folks in the crowd before and after the show. It’s a lot of fun. The questions you get from folks young and old is just amazing. It gets you excited. You forget how neat the U.S. military is for folks who don’t see it on a daily basis,” McWherter said.
He added that being at LRAFB is something special
“We send our C-130 aircraft here to get modifications and work done on repairs every year. We really rely on the men and women on this base to help us accomplish our mission. It’s really great to be able to bring our team here to show them what they’re supporting. That is fantastic,” McWherter said.
Petty Officer First Class Jeremy Green, a native of Hope, was happy to be back in his home state. This is his second year with the Blue Angels, working on life-support systems, such as ejector seats and oxygen tanks.
Green said, “There’s nothing more exciting then getting to come home. I grew up on a farm and trying to explain the things I do in the Navy is a little hard. So they can come out here and see. ‘Oh, OK, there’s a jet, I see what he’s talking about.’ Pulling chalks out from under the tires, you know things like that.”
Green said his job is “fun. It becomes second nature.”
Being with the Blue Angels has required him to do things that aren’t related to life support, such as engine changes. That kind of work requires four people, he said.
Green said he joined the Blue Angels because “who wouldn’t want to?”
He continued, “The best part of the whole show, for me, is when we get to stand out front and you know you’re right there in front of the friends and family section and they announce your name and where you’re from. It makes you feel proud.”
Green joked that his family and friends probably wouldn’t make it to Saturday’s performance because they will be going to the Razorbacks game.
He comes back home at least twice a year to hunt and fish. His 7-year-old daughter, Allison, likes squirrel hunting, Green said.
Being enlisted has its challenges, he said.
“The hardest thing for me was I did an eight-month deployment on the U.S.S. Roosevelt early in my career. When I left my daughter, she was six months old, and she was just getting to where she could take her first step. She was walking early, and I think she did it for me. The hardest thing was just the thought of her learning and growing and not being there to see it,” Green said.
Service members interested in being Blue Angels have to apply for the job.
McWherter said, “We’re very selective about who we pick. We think that every sailor and Marine can do this. They all bring an incredible amount of skill. They bring a passion for serving their country and an incredible gift for telling the story about what the Navy and Marine Corps do.
“But (what is) most important for us is the team dynamic. We need to bring people to this team who help contribute to a very healthy team environment. We spend the better part of 300 to 320 days a year together on the road traveling. We have to get along. Everything we do is based on trust and teamwork,” he said.
As for the weather, McWherter said it does play a role in how the Blue Angels prepare for an event.
“As a commanding officer, I think about how it affects the entire team. As our men and women are out here working on the aircrafts day in and day out, we want to make sure they can get out of the sunshine and have plenty of water. The hotter it is the more fatigue sets in and the more we worry about dehydration. Jets generally like cool, clean, calm air,” he said.
This year, McWherter said, the military is commemorating the War of 1812 bicentennial.
“Two hundred years ago our country went to war to defend open access to the seas and that was the first time the American public saw the vital importance of a strong Navy,” he said.
“The interesting thing is that 200 years later, we’re still fighting piracy on the open seas. We’re still combating terrorism and fighting for freedom around the globe. The same boldness, ingenuity and courage that defined our sailors and Marines 200 years ago still resonates in the sailors and Marines you’ll see this weekend,” McWherter said.
He said performing in an air show is “like riding a roller coaster. Your body gets used to it. It’s a very strenuous workout.”
Even the Blue Angels’ uniforms have a purpose, McWherter said.
“It’s a traditional uniform. We like it. You get kind of used to it. We represent the Navy and Marine Corps. We all need to be in uniform. We need to look fit. This uniform makes you stay in shape,” he said with a laugh.
McWherter didn’t become interested in the Blue Angels until later in his career when a friend suggested he apply for a position with them. But he knew what he wanted to do with his life at an early age.
“I grew up loving all things aviation. I think I was a standard kid. Things that went fast and made noise excited me. When I was in high school, I saw a movie called ‘Top Gun’ and I said, ‘That’s it. I want to go out to an aircraft carrier. I want to be a naval aviator, shoot some missiles, drop some bombs, do all that,’” McWherter said.
The lineup for both days, in order, is the Canadian Skyhawks, Mike Rinker, the Canadian Force’s CF-18, the flash fire jet truck, John Klatt Airshows, Airfield Seizure (AR National Guard, USASOC Black Daggers/C-130 Cargo Drop/Mass Paratrooper Drop), the Ladies for Liberty, the Air Combat Command Heritage Flight (F-4/P-47), Otto, Mike Rinker again, the U.S. Navy Super Hornet, John Klatt Airshows-Max Adrenaline, the DAV B-25, Fat Albert and the Blue Angels.
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
EDITORIAL >> Bill Walker needs to go
Former state Sen. Bill Walker of Little Rock runs the state Department of Career Education — not very well — but he may be on his way out after he hired an unqualified lady friend as an interpreter for the deaf.
At the start of the long Labor Day weekend, Walker announced he’d made a mistake when he picked his protege as a sign interpreter. He was hoping no one would notice that he’d been chewed out by Gov. Mike Beebe.
Let’s review Walker’s appointment of lady friend Clara Taylor: According to one report, “Taylor was not certified as an interpreter, scored second lowest among nine applicants and failed to translate a simple video in either of two types of sign language.” Just the person for the job to help the deaf.
Still, Walker says he thought she was the best qualified because she signed for the deaf at his church and was a contract worker at his funeral home, whatever that means.
After the deaf community complained to Gov. Beebe, Walker started ducking for cover and put Taylor in another position in his department.
Combine Walker’s $140,393 salary with Taylor’s $35,319 pay, and you’re talking $175,000 a year wasted on these two dubious state employees. Multiply that sad scenario 100 times across the state bureaucracy, and you’re talking $17 million a year wasted. We know of several schools that would benefit from that amount of state aid.
Neither Walker nor Taylor are qualified, but in Arkansas, it’s usually not what you know but whom you know. Walker knows Gov. Beebe very well — they served in the Senate together — which is how the funeral director became the head of career education. Maybe he could teach embalming to the unemployed.
The right thing for everybody would be for Walker to step down. If he doesn’t resign, Beebe should name a qualified successor to run the department.
At the start of the long Labor Day weekend, Walker announced he’d made a mistake when he picked his protege as a sign interpreter. He was hoping no one would notice that he’d been chewed out by Gov. Mike Beebe.
Let’s review Walker’s appointment of lady friend Clara Taylor: According to one report, “Taylor was not certified as an interpreter, scored second lowest among nine applicants and failed to translate a simple video in either of two types of sign language.” Just the person for the job to help the deaf.
Still, Walker says he thought she was the best qualified because she signed for the deaf at his church and was a contract worker at his funeral home, whatever that means.
After the deaf community complained to Gov. Beebe, Walker started ducking for cover and put Taylor in another position in his department.
Combine Walker’s $140,393 salary with Taylor’s $35,319 pay, and you’re talking $175,000 a year wasted on these two dubious state employees. Multiply that sad scenario 100 times across the state bureaucracy, and you’re talking $17 million a year wasted. We know of several schools that would benefit from that amount of state aid.
Neither Walker nor Taylor are qualified, but in Arkansas, it’s usually not what you know but whom you know. Walker knows Gov. Beebe very well — they served in the Senate together — which is how the funeral director became the head of career education. Maybe he could teach embalming to the unemployed.
The right thing for everybody would be for Walker to step down. If he doesn’t resign, Beebe should name a qualified successor to run the department.
TOP STORY >> Tuition rules will help students
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
New federal guidelines will help ensure students receive a quality education without going into massive debt, an education leader said.
Melody Toney, the education and training section chief at the Jacksonville-Little Rock Air Force Base Joint Education Center, spoke to the Cabot Rotary Club on Tuesday about the new rules.
Toney oversees the tuition assistance program for service members, veterans, their spouses and other family members.
The new rules were issued via an executive order from President Barack Obama, she said.
The goal of the order is to strengthen oversight, enforcement and accountability involving benefit programs that help service members, veterans and their families with tuition and fees.
Toney said the federal government wants to stop schools from encouraging people to take out institutional loans rather than applying for federal student loans first, recruiting new students with inappropriate gifts and failing to provide them with information like graduation rates and other indicators of how successful the school has been.
Another goal is to prevent schools from recruiting individuals with serious brain injuries and emotional problems without providing them academic support and counseling.
Toney said the order establishes a centralized office to deal with complaints and those complaints are sent up the chain of command to be taken care of.
The Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies will address the complaints.
She said one of the new rules is that the schools must tell potential students the total cost of their programs.
“They have to know up front how much the degree is,” Toney said.
The schools must also inform students how much of that is covered by federal benefits, what type of aid they may qualify for, their estimated student loan debt upon graduation, how many students finish the programs and other facts that may help them compare educational institutions, she said.
If a student has to miss class temporarily or put off their studies to fulfill their service duties, such as being deployed, the schools must readmit them to the program, she said.
They have to provide an educational plan for each student too, Toney said.
The schools will also be required to put in place a standard refund policy, she added.
They must accept credit cards and may be reviewed by a third-party company, she continued.
Toney also shared an overview of the joint education center, which opened in January 2011. The old facility, she said, was a 1950s barracks.
Construction of the $14.8 million center on Vandenberg Boulevard in Jacksonville was funded by the Air Force and a city sales tax that raised $5 million.
She said the center has $72,000 worth of furniture and 783 parking spaces.
Six colleges — Arkansas State University-Beebe, the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, Park University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Southern Illinois and Webster University — provide several degree programs.
Toney said the campus offers the only certified upholstery class in the South that students can receive credit for.
She also said Jacksonville High School students are attending classes and earning college credit from the center this semester.
The campus is looking into adding more degree programs through ASU-Beebe, Webster and Park universities, Toney said.
The new facility also allowed the campus to have morning and afternoon classes, she added.
Leader staff writer
New federal guidelines will help ensure students receive a quality education without going into massive debt, an education leader said.
Melody Toney, the education and training section chief at the Jacksonville-Little Rock Air Force Base Joint Education Center, spoke to the Cabot Rotary Club on Tuesday about the new rules.
Toney oversees the tuition assistance program for service members, veterans, their spouses and other family members.
The new rules were issued via an executive order from President Barack Obama, she said.
The goal of the order is to strengthen oversight, enforcement and accountability involving benefit programs that help service members, veterans and their families with tuition and fees.
Toney said the federal government wants to stop schools from encouraging people to take out institutional loans rather than applying for federal student loans first, recruiting new students with inappropriate gifts and failing to provide them with information like graduation rates and other indicators of how successful the school has been.
Another goal is to prevent schools from recruiting individuals with serious brain injuries and emotional problems without providing them academic support and counseling.
Toney said the order establishes a centralized office to deal with complaints and those complaints are sent up the chain of command to be taken care of.
The Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies will address the complaints.
She said one of the new rules is that the schools must tell potential students the total cost of their programs.
“They have to know up front how much the degree is,” Toney said.
The schools must also inform students how much of that is covered by federal benefits, what type of aid they may qualify for, their estimated student loan debt upon graduation, how many students finish the programs and other facts that may help them compare educational institutions, she said.
If a student has to miss class temporarily or put off their studies to fulfill their service duties, such as being deployed, the schools must readmit them to the program, she said.
They have to provide an educational plan for each student too, Toney said.
The schools will also be required to put in place a standard refund policy, she added.
They must accept credit cards and may be reviewed by a third-party company, she continued.
Toney also shared an overview of the joint education center, which opened in January 2011. The old facility, she said, was a 1950s barracks.
Construction of the $14.8 million center on Vandenberg Boulevard in Jacksonville was funded by the Air Force and a city sales tax that raised $5 million.
She said the center has $72,000 worth of furniture and 783 parking spaces.
Six colleges — Arkansas State University-Beebe, the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, Park University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Southern Illinois and Webster University — provide several degree programs.
Toney said the campus offers the only certified upholstery class in the South that students can receive credit for.
She also said Jacksonville High School students are attending classes and earning college credit from the center this semester.
The campus is looking into adding more degree programs through ASU-Beebe, Webster and Park universities, Toney said.
The new facility also allowed the campus to have morning and afternoon classes, she added.
TOP STORY >> First and last Vietnam casualties
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader executive editor
Marine Pfc. James (Ricky) Maxwell of Center Ridge in Conway County was buried last week in Morrilton.
He was 18 years old when he was killed in May 1975 off the coast of Cambodia during an assault on an island to rescue the crew of the U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez. The crew was captured by communist Khmer Rouge in international waters.
It took 20 years to recover Maxwell’s remains and another 17 years to identify them after his brothers gave DNA samples to military investigators.
Maxwell was one of the last Americans to die in Southeast Asia.
Tim Tribble, one of the Marines who survived the fighting on the island, called Maxwell’s younger brother, Paul, before the funeral, and told him, “I waited 37 years to tell you. Your brother was a hero.”
Maxwell joined the Marines in 1974, when he was 17. In mid-May 1975, he and dozens of Marines were headed into the last battle of the Vietnam War.
The war ended for most Americans in April 1975. But U.S. forces had one more battle to fight on the island of Koh Tang to rescue the crew of the Mayaguez.
Eight Air Force Jolly Green Giant helicopters were carrying 179 Marines in the first assault on the island. More reinforcements were brought in during the three-day battle, but they met fierce resistance from some 200 Khmer Rouge, who shot down several helicopters and killed 18 Marines as they landed on the beach.
Maxwell’s helicopter was shot down on May 15 before it could land on Koh Tang. The pilot and co-pilot were killed, along with several others.
Paul Maxwell said Tribble told him how his brother had died. Despite earlier accounts, he wasn’t killed in the helicopter and washed out to sea.
“Ricky and Tribble and another Marine got out of the helicopter,” Paul Maxwell said.
The helicopter had landed in shallow waters, Tribble told him. The three surviving Marines shot at the enemy, but their weapons jammed. Maxwell was shot in the neck and died near the water.
Tribble and another Marine swam out to sea and were rescued by the Navy. Other survivors were also picked up in the ocean.
“My brother died saving lives,” Paul said. “He should have received the Medal of Honor instead of a Purple Heart.”
When the Marines finally reached the Mayaguez, they found it deserted.
According to the Air Force National Museum web site, besides the 18 dead, 50 others were wounded. In addition, “23 more Air Force personnel died in a support force helicopter crash in Thailand due to mechanical failure.”
The Mayaguez crew was later found on a small boat out in the sea.
The war lasted officially for 16 years. Two generations fought in the war. Maxwell’s father, William, was an airman stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base who was in Vietnam in the late 1960s. His family believes he died from bone cancer in 1970 because of exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
James Maxwell’s remains were discovered in 1995, but it took several years to identify the men who were killed on the island. His family gave blood samples requested by the military, which helped identify the bones recovered off the island as Maxwell’s.
Remains that could not be identified through DNA will be buried at Arlington Cemetery later this month. Relatives of the fallen service members have been invited to attend the ceremony.
“I love my brother,” Paul Maxwell said. “Thank God he’s come home.”
The names of the fallen on the Vietnam Memorial Wall start from the beginning of the war in 1959 and end in 1975. James Maxwell’s name appears just before the last line. Ahead of him are the names of 58,265 Americans who were killed or are missing. Five more are listed under him.
If you go back to the first panel at the memorial, you’ll see the name of another Arkansan, Army Maj. Walter Hugh Moon, a Green Beret who was killed in Laos more than 50 years ago.
Moon, who was from Rudy in Crawford County, was a World War II veteran and a special forces commander in Laos. He was among the first group of military advisers sent to Southeast Asia during the Eisenhower administration. Hundreds more arrived after President Kennedy took office.
Moon’s name is among the first listed on the memorial — executed in captivity in Laos in July 1961.
Moon was the 14th American casualty of the war and the first Arkansan killed in Southeast Asia. Moon’s name appears on the third line of the Vietnam Memorial. The first name is that of Army Maj. Dale Richard Buis of Pender, Nev., an adviser to the Vietnamese military who was killed in July 1959.
Moon’s infantry unit came under attack deep in Laos in April 1961. Some of his men scrambled into the jungle and survived, but Moon and several others were captured.
Moon tried to escape several times and was wounded the last time he tried to get out of the POW camp. According to other POWs, he deteriorated physically and emotionally and was executed that summer.
He was 38. His body was never recovered.
Leader executive editor
Marine Pfc. James (Ricky) Maxwell of Center Ridge in Conway County was buried last week in Morrilton.
He was 18 years old when he was killed in May 1975 off the coast of Cambodia during an assault on an island to rescue the crew of the U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez. The crew was captured by communist Khmer Rouge in international waters.
It took 20 years to recover Maxwell’s remains and another 17 years to identify them after his brothers gave DNA samples to military investigators.
Maxwell was one of the last Americans to die in Southeast Asia.
Tim Tribble, one of the Marines who survived the fighting on the island, called Maxwell’s younger brother, Paul, before the funeral, and told him, “I waited 37 years to tell you. Your brother was a hero.”
Maxwell joined the Marines in 1974, when he was 17. In mid-May 1975, he and dozens of Marines were headed into the last battle of the Vietnam War.
The war ended for most Americans in April 1975. But U.S. forces had one more battle to fight on the island of Koh Tang to rescue the crew of the Mayaguez.
Eight Air Force Jolly Green Giant helicopters were carrying 179 Marines in the first assault on the island. More reinforcements were brought in during the three-day battle, but they met fierce resistance from some 200 Khmer Rouge, who shot down several helicopters and killed 18 Marines as they landed on the beach.
Maxwell’s helicopter was shot down on May 15 before it could land on Koh Tang. The pilot and co-pilot were killed, along with several others.
Paul Maxwell said Tribble told him how his brother had died. Despite earlier accounts, he wasn’t killed in the helicopter and washed out to sea.
“Ricky and Tribble and another Marine got out of the helicopter,” Paul Maxwell said.
The helicopter had landed in shallow waters, Tribble told him. The three surviving Marines shot at the enemy, but their weapons jammed. Maxwell was shot in the neck and died near the water.
Tribble and another Marine swam out to sea and were rescued by the Navy. Other survivors were also picked up in the ocean.
“My brother died saving lives,” Paul said. “He should have received the Medal of Honor instead of a Purple Heart.”
When the Marines finally reached the Mayaguez, they found it deserted.
According to the Air Force National Museum web site, besides the 18 dead, 50 others were wounded. In addition, “23 more Air Force personnel died in a support force helicopter crash in Thailand due to mechanical failure.”
The Mayaguez crew was later found on a small boat out in the sea.
The war lasted officially for 16 years. Two generations fought in the war. Maxwell’s father, William, was an airman stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base who was in Vietnam in the late 1960s. His family believes he died from bone cancer in 1970 because of exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
James Maxwell’s remains were discovered in 1995, but it took several years to identify the men who were killed on the island. His family gave blood samples requested by the military, which helped identify the bones recovered off the island as Maxwell’s.
Remains that could not be identified through DNA will be buried at Arlington Cemetery later this month. Relatives of the fallen service members have been invited to attend the ceremony.
“I love my brother,” Paul Maxwell said. “Thank God he’s come home.”
The names of the fallen on the Vietnam Memorial Wall start from the beginning of the war in 1959 and end in 1975. James Maxwell’s name appears just before the last line. Ahead of him are the names of 58,265 Americans who were killed or are missing. Five more are listed under him.
If you go back to the first panel at the memorial, you’ll see the name of another Arkansan, Army Maj. Walter Hugh Moon, a Green Beret who was killed in Laos more than 50 years ago.
Moon, who was from Rudy in Crawford County, was a World War II veteran and a special forces commander in Laos. He was among the first group of military advisers sent to Southeast Asia during the Eisenhower administration. Hundreds more arrived after President Kennedy took office.
Moon’s name is among the first listed on the memorial — executed in captivity in Laos in July 1961.
Moon was the 14th American casualty of the war and the first Arkansan killed in Southeast Asia. Moon’s name appears on the third line of the Vietnam Memorial. The first name is that of Army Maj. Dale Richard Buis of Pender, Nev., an adviser to the Vietnamese military who was killed in July 1959.
Moon’s infantry unit came under attack deep in Laos in April 1961. Some of his men scrambled into the jungle and survived, but Moon and several others were captured.
Moon tried to escape several times and was wounded the last time he tried to get out of the POW camp. According to other POWs, he deteriorated physically and emotionally and was executed that summer.
He was 38. His body was never recovered.
TOP STORY >> Big crowds awaited at open house
There will be something for everyone at the 2012 Heritage and Heroes Open House and Air Show Saturday and Sunday at Little Rock Air Force Base. The gate opens at 8:30 a.m.
The air show starts at 10 a.m. and continues until the headlining performance of the Navy’s Blue Angels at approximately 2 p.m. on both days.
Other acts include the Team Little Rock C-130 “Day in Afghanistan” capabilities exercise; demonstrations by the Canadian Forces CF-18 team and the Navy Super Hornet teams.
Also precision parachuting by the Army Special Operations Jump Team Black Daggers and the Canadian Skyhawks, aerobatics by Mike Rinker and Pink Floyd and nostalgic B-25, F-4, P-47 and P-51 heritage flights.
Ground displays include the gigantic C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III, B-52 Stratofortress, FexEx 727, a vast array of C-130s, including the AC-130 gunship, T-1 Texan and T-38 Tweet trainers, TC-135 and KC-135 aircraft, and Army UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters.
SATURDAY’S PERFORMERS
Canadian Forces Skyhawks parachute team, John Klatt Air National Guard Team, Super Hornet CF-18, Jet Fire truck run, Two Ship Air National Guard demonstration, Liberty Bells, Capabilities Exercise and Heritage flight demonstrations, Otto the Helicopter, Mike Rinker flies Pink Floyd, Canadian Forces CF-18 demonstration, B2 stealth bomber flyby and the Blue Angels.
SUNDAY’S PERFORMERS
Canadian Forces Skyhawks parachute team, John Klatt Air National Guard Team, Super Hornet CF-18, Jet truck run, Two Ship Air National Guard demonstration, Disabled American Veterans B-25 Flight Team, Otto the Helicopter, Mike Rinker flies Pink Floyd, Capabilities Exercise demonstration, Liberty Bells, Super Hornet demo, jet truck race, Heritage flight demonstration B2 stealth bomber flyby and Blue Angels.
The air show starts at 10 a.m. and continues until the headlining performance of the Navy’s Blue Angels at approximately 2 p.m. on both days.
Other acts include the Team Little Rock C-130 “Day in Afghanistan” capabilities exercise; demonstrations by the Canadian Forces CF-18 team and the Navy Super Hornet teams.
Also precision parachuting by the Army Special Operations Jump Team Black Daggers and the Canadian Skyhawks, aerobatics by Mike Rinker and Pink Floyd and nostalgic B-25, F-4, P-47 and P-51 heritage flights.
Ground displays include the gigantic C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III, B-52 Stratofortress, FexEx 727, a vast array of C-130s, including the AC-130 gunship, T-1 Texan and T-38 Tweet trainers, TC-135 and KC-135 aircraft, and Army UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters.
SATURDAY’S PERFORMERS
Canadian Forces Skyhawks parachute team, John Klatt Air National Guard Team, Super Hornet CF-18, Jet Fire truck run, Two Ship Air National Guard demonstration, Liberty Bells, Capabilities Exercise and Heritage flight demonstrations, Otto the Helicopter, Mike Rinker flies Pink Floyd, Canadian Forces CF-18 demonstration, B2 stealth bomber flyby and the Blue Angels.
SUNDAY’S PERFORMERS
Canadian Forces Skyhawks parachute team, John Klatt Air National Guard Team, Super Hornet CF-18, Jet truck run, Two Ship Air National Guard demonstration, Disabled American Veterans B-25 Flight Team, Otto the Helicopter, Mike Rinker flies Pink Floyd, Capabilities Exercise demonstration, Liberty Bells, Super Hornet demo, jet truck race, Heritage flight demonstration B2 stealth bomber flyby and Blue Angels.
SPORTS STORY >> Wildcats face off at Longview
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
North Little Rock takes a long trip to face a Texas high school football powerhouse this Friday when it takes on the Longview Lobos. Longview went 12-2 last season, won its conference championship and advanced to the semifinals of the state playoffs in class 5A-Texas’ largest classification. The Lobos have several starters returning from that team, but suffered a terrible start to the season when they fell 41-8 to Coppell, Texas last Friday.
Longview coach John King wasn’t at all pleased with how his team began the season, but doesn’t think it is as bad as it appeared in its first game.
“We didn’t play well, really in any area,” King said. “Didn’t pass it well, didn’t defend the pass well, made mistakes in our kicking game. We’ve got a lot to improve, but we have some good football players.”
Coppell led 21-0 at halftime then scored on the opening drive of the second half. One bright spot for Longview last week was running back Tori White, who rushed for 128 yards.
“He did a good job for us and we had some pretty good run blocking at times,” King said. “We have to be more consistent.
Wide receiver Justin Spader also had six catches for 78 yards in the loss.
Longview runs multiple formations, but its base offense is a two-back pro set. North Little Rock enters the game with an advantage in experience with 18 returning starters to Longview’s 11, but Wildcat coach Brad Bolding isn’t taking anything for granted.
“They’re a good football team,” Bolding said. “This is a traditional Texas powerhouse. They’re never going to be bad. The offense struggled a little bit but they’re got almost a whole new offensive line. They’re going to learn from game one and I’m sure they’re going to be ready. That’ll be a wakeup call for them.”
King didn’t mention specific North Little Rock players that he’s concerned about, but does recognize a quality team.
“They’re big, physical, fast and well coached,” King said. “They’re a fine football team. There are just a whole lot of unknowns. We don’t know a whole lot about them and they don’t know a whole lot about us except for what you can get from one game film.”
The Lobos’ team speed is one of Bolding’s concerns.
“They play fast,” Bolding said. “I’m not sure we’ve seen that kind of team speed.”
While the Charging Wild-cats’ week-one opponent, Lake Hamilton, doesn’t possess the Lobos’ kind of speed, Bolding was pleased with how well his defense shut down the Wolves’ traditionally powerful offense.
“I thought defensively we played great,” Bolding said. “We held them to 74 total yards. We had an interception return for a touchdown called back. The defense gave us great field position.
“Offensively, I thought we played well for about two quarters. After that I thought we let up.”
The Wildcats’ compiled 384 total yards with senior Altee Tenpenny leading the way with 84 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns.
“Our run blocking was really good at times and then we had some breakdowns,” Bolding said. “If I was going to five our offense a grade I’d give it a high D. We’re really nitpicking every little thing. The more experience you have, and we have a lot of experience, the tougher the grade is.”
Leader sports editor
North Little Rock takes a long trip to face a Texas high school football powerhouse this Friday when it takes on the Longview Lobos. Longview went 12-2 last season, won its conference championship and advanced to the semifinals of the state playoffs in class 5A-Texas’ largest classification. The Lobos have several starters returning from that team, but suffered a terrible start to the season when they fell 41-8 to Coppell, Texas last Friday.
Longview coach John King wasn’t at all pleased with how his team began the season, but doesn’t think it is as bad as it appeared in its first game.
“We didn’t play well, really in any area,” King said. “Didn’t pass it well, didn’t defend the pass well, made mistakes in our kicking game. We’ve got a lot to improve, but we have some good football players.”
Coppell led 21-0 at halftime then scored on the opening drive of the second half. One bright spot for Longview last week was running back Tori White, who rushed for 128 yards.
“He did a good job for us and we had some pretty good run blocking at times,” King said. “We have to be more consistent.
Wide receiver Justin Spader also had six catches for 78 yards in the loss.
Longview runs multiple formations, but its base offense is a two-back pro set. North Little Rock enters the game with an advantage in experience with 18 returning starters to Longview’s 11, but Wildcat coach Brad Bolding isn’t taking anything for granted.
“They’re a good football team,” Bolding said. “This is a traditional Texas powerhouse. They’re never going to be bad. The offense struggled a little bit but they’re got almost a whole new offensive line. They’re going to learn from game one and I’m sure they’re going to be ready. That’ll be a wakeup call for them.”
King didn’t mention specific North Little Rock players that he’s concerned about, but does recognize a quality team.
“They’re big, physical, fast and well coached,” King said. “They’re a fine football team. There are just a whole lot of unknowns. We don’t know a whole lot about them and they don’t know a whole lot about us except for what you can get from one game film.”
The Lobos’ team speed is one of Bolding’s concerns.
“They play fast,” Bolding said. “I’m not sure we’ve seen that kind of team speed.”
While the Charging Wild-cats’ week-one opponent, Lake Hamilton, doesn’t possess the Lobos’ kind of speed, Bolding was pleased with how well his defense shut down the Wolves’ traditionally powerful offense.
“I thought defensively we played great,” Bolding said. “We held them to 74 total yards. We had an interception return for a touchdown called back. The defense gave us great field position.
“Offensively, I thought we played well for about two quarters. After that I thought we let up.”
The Wildcats’ compiled 384 total yards with senior Altee Tenpenny leading the way with 84 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns.
“Our run blocking was really good at times and then we had some breakdowns,” Bolding said. “If I was going to five our offense a grade I’d give it a high D. We’re really nitpicking every little thing. The more experience you have, and we have a lot of experience, the tougher the grade is.”
SPORTS STORY >> Moving forward is Devils’ objective
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Overcoming adversity was the theme at practice after Jacksonville lost its football season opener to Cabot last Tuesday.
Beginning Monday, the theme has been game preparation for Friday’s 7 p.m. road game against the Benton Panthers.
“The kids responded really well,” Jacksonville coach Rick Russell said. We talked about when mistakes happen, we need to rise to the occasion instead of letting that interfere with how we attack each play and perform.”
After preaching putting bad things behind, the coaching staff would be remiss to dwell on what went wrong against Cabot. While those things were addressed and attempts were made to correct them, there were also some positives that came from last Tuesday’s performance.
“We need to be physical every play and I think our defense was,” Russell said. “We feel good about what we’re doing on defense. They know what to do and how to do it. They’re communicating well. And I thought our interior linemen held their own against Cabot as well as any group we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Benton also suffered several mistakes in its season-opening loss to Arkadelphia, which happened to take place at War Memorial Stadium right before Jacksonville and Cabot took the field.
The Red Devils only watched the first quarter before going to the locker room to get ready for their game, but the game film shows some things they have to be aware of come Friday night in Saline County.
“That number one (senior running back Wallace Foote) is a very fast player who’s very elusive in space,” Russell said. “We’re going to have to play great technique and when we get a hand on him, we’re going to have to be good tacklers. I think every running play they ran except one went to him or the quarterback keeping it. So we know who we have to key on.”
Benton won just three games last year, but one of them was a 41-14 blowout of Jacksonville at Jan Crow Stadium. That game exemplifies what Russell has been talking about since last Tuesday.
“We’re in the lead in the second quarter and they score, just bang, bang, bang right before halftime, and we never recover from it,” Russell said. “You make a mistake like that, you have to take a breath, get over it and move onto the next play. They’ve got athletes and opponents are going to make big plays from time to time. We have to have a short memory, continue with our technique and keep playing. I think if we can do that, we’re going to have a great football team.”
The Red Devils are still set at quarterback even though starter Aaron Smith and co-starter Kevin Richardson each left the Cabot game midway through the third quarter. Smith was suffering from cramps. Russell says he probably could have continued, but the team trainer recommended he not go in.
“In my honest opinion we have the best team trainer in the state of Arkansas in Dr. Calhoun,” Russell said. “If he recommends something, we go by that.”
Richardson left with a knee injury after a 49-yard kickoff return, but it was only a bruised knee. Both players have been at practice and at full speed this week.
That doesn’t mean they’ll be the only ones taking snaps. Junior Reggie Barnes finished the Cabot game at quarterback and has continued to progress in practice.
“I thought Reggie did a good job of coming in and managing the game for us,” Russell said. “He’s continued to improve and he could become another factor for us. We just want to make sure we have players in there at the right spots at all times. I don’t think there’s going to be many changes, but there will be a few changes like there always are.”
Leader sports editor
Overcoming adversity was the theme at practice after Jacksonville lost its football season opener to Cabot last Tuesday.
Beginning Monday, the theme has been game preparation for Friday’s 7 p.m. road game against the Benton Panthers.
“The kids responded really well,” Jacksonville coach Rick Russell said. We talked about when mistakes happen, we need to rise to the occasion instead of letting that interfere with how we attack each play and perform.”
After preaching putting bad things behind, the coaching staff would be remiss to dwell on what went wrong against Cabot. While those things were addressed and attempts were made to correct them, there were also some positives that came from last Tuesday’s performance.
“We need to be physical every play and I think our defense was,” Russell said. “We feel good about what we’re doing on defense. They know what to do and how to do it. They’re communicating well. And I thought our interior linemen held their own against Cabot as well as any group we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Benton also suffered several mistakes in its season-opening loss to Arkadelphia, which happened to take place at War Memorial Stadium right before Jacksonville and Cabot took the field.
The Red Devils only watched the first quarter before going to the locker room to get ready for their game, but the game film shows some things they have to be aware of come Friday night in Saline County.
“That number one (senior running back Wallace Foote) is a very fast player who’s very elusive in space,” Russell said. “We’re going to have to play great technique and when we get a hand on him, we’re going to have to be good tacklers. I think every running play they ran except one went to him or the quarterback keeping it. So we know who we have to key on.”
Benton won just three games last year, but one of them was a 41-14 blowout of Jacksonville at Jan Crow Stadium. That game exemplifies what Russell has been talking about since last Tuesday.
“We’re in the lead in the second quarter and they score, just bang, bang, bang right before halftime, and we never recover from it,” Russell said. “You make a mistake like that, you have to take a breath, get over it and move onto the next play. They’ve got athletes and opponents are going to make big plays from time to time. We have to have a short memory, continue with our technique and keep playing. I think if we can do that, we’re going to have a great football team.”
The Red Devils are still set at quarterback even though starter Aaron Smith and co-starter Kevin Richardson each left the Cabot game midway through the third quarter. Smith was suffering from cramps. Russell says he probably could have continued, but the team trainer recommended he not go in.
“In my honest opinion we have the best team trainer in the state of Arkansas in Dr. Calhoun,” Russell said. “If he recommends something, we go by that.”
Richardson left with a knee injury after a 49-yard kickoff return, but it was only a bruised knee. Both players have been at practice and at full speed this week.
That doesn’t mean they’ll be the only ones taking snaps. Junior Reggie Barnes finished the Cabot game at quarterback and has continued to progress in practice.
“I thought Reggie did a good job of coming in and managing the game for us,” Russell said. “He’s continued to improve and he could become another factor for us. We just want to make sure we have players in there at the right spots at all times. I don’t think there’s going to be many changes, but there will be a few changes like there always are.”
SPORTS STORY >> Hwy. 31 rivalry resumes
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
There are only 20 miles of road that separates Lonoke and Beebe geographically, but the philosophies of the two teams could not be more different.
Jackrabbits coach Doug Bost will bring his high-flying brand of spread football north to face Badgers coach John Shannon’s ball-control oriented dead T offense this Friday at Bro Erwin Stadium in another installment of a local rivalry that dates back almost 50 years.
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses in their season openers last week. Beebe had a series of ill-timed mistakes that kept it off the scoreboard in a 35-0 shutout loss at Greenbrier while Lonoke lost 44-35 to Star City in a game that had more twists and turns than Hwy. 31 itself.
“Our kids and their kids know each other,” Shannon said. “We’ve been playing each other forever. Some people call it the battle of Hwy. 31 and others call it a couple of other things, and it’s always been a good ballgame – it’s usually a close ballgame.”
The Badgers trailed Greenbrier 14-0 at the end of the first half, but had three trips inside the Panthers’ red zone.
“The biggest thing was just our youth,” Shannon said. “We moved the ball pretty well. I felt pretty good about how we moved the ball, it’s just that every time we got inside their 10-yard line, one of our sophomores would make a crucial mistake.
“The second half, I just think Aaron tried to do too much. Three fumbles, three interceptions – you just can’t give Greenbrier a short field over and over like that, they’re too good a team.”
The biggest potential loss for the Badgers last week was when senior halfback and leading defender Michael Kirby sustained a concussion, which makes his status questionable for this Friday. The margin of defeat to the Panthers last week was a big one, but Shannon said much of the result was due to mistakes that can be corrected with a little more experience for a Badgers team which starts plenty of sophomores.
“35-0 is bad, don’t get me wrong,” Shannon said. “But I thought the game was closer than what the score indicated. We made mistakes, but you have to expect that with four sophomores on offense and four on defense.”
Greenbrier balanced its game between the run and the pass, something the Badgers will face again this week against Lonoke. Jackrabbits junior quarterback Grant Dewey threw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns last week against Star City, while senior tailback Eric Williams used his speed to rack up 100 rushing yards and two more touchdowns.
“Lonoke is very similar; the biggest difference there is they have great athletes,” Shannon said. “Greenbrier had good athletes, but Lonoke has great athletes, and they can make you look silly in a hurry. That’s what happened last year, we couldn’t touch them in the first half, and next thing you know, they’re up by 21 points.”
The Jackrabbits were on pace to take a runaway victory from Beebe early last year, as they jumped out to a three-score lead before the end of the first quarter. But the Badgers adjusted their defensive approach against the speedier ’Rabbits and slowly got back into contention, eventually pulling off the comeback win 36-33. Shannon hopes to get the same end result again this Friday, though he could do without the falling-behind part.
“We have to tackle well,” Shannon said. “Defensively, we can’t let them get out in the open, and we just have to pound the ground game on them and try to wear them down.”
Leader sportswriter
There are only 20 miles of road that separates Lonoke and Beebe geographically, but the philosophies of the two teams could not be more different.
Jackrabbits coach Doug Bost will bring his high-flying brand of spread football north to face Badgers coach John Shannon’s ball-control oriented dead T offense this Friday at Bro Erwin Stadium in another installment of a local rivalry that dates back almost 50 years.
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses in their season openers last week. Beebe had a series of ill-timed mistakes that kept it off the scoreboard in a 35-0 shutout loss at Greenbrier while Lonoke lost 44-35 to Star City in a game that had more twists and turns than Hwy. 31 itself.
“Our kids and their kids know each other,” Shannon said. “We’ve been playing each other forever. Some people call it the battle of Hwy. 31 and others call it a couple of other things, and it’s always been a good ballgame – it’s usually a close ballgame.”
The Badgers trailed Greenbrier 14-0 at the end of the first half, but had three trips inside the Panthers’ red zone.
“The biggest thing was just our youth,” Shannon said. “We moved the ball pretty well. I felt pretty good about how we moved the ball, it’s just that every time we got inside their 10-yard line, one of our sophomores would make a crucial mistake.
“The second half, I just think Aaron tried to do too much. Three fumbles, three interceptions – you just can’t give Greenbrier a short field over and over like that, they’re too good a team.”
The biggest potential loss for the Badgers last week was when senior halfback and leading defender Michael Kirby sustained a concussion, which makes his status questionable for this Friday. The margin of defeat to the Panthers last week was a big one, but Shannon said much of the result was due to mistakes that can be corrected with a little more experience for a Badgers team which starts plenty of sophomores.
“35-0 is bad, don’t get me wrong,” Shannon said. “But I thought the game was closer than what the score indicated. We made mistakes, but you have to expect that with four sophomores on offense and four on defense.”
Greenbrier balanced its game between the run and the pass, something the Badgers will face again this week against Lonoke. Jackrabbits junior quarterback Grant Dewey threw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns last week against Star City, while senior tailback Eric Williams used his speed to rack up 100 rushing yards and two more touchdowns.
“Lonoke is very similar; the biggest difference there is they have great athletes,” Shannon said. “Greenbrier had good athletes, but Lonoke has great athletes, and they can make you look silly in a hurry. That’s what happened last year, we couldn’t touch them in the first half, and next thing you know, they’re up by 21 points.”
The Jackrabbits were on pace to take a runaway victory from Beebe early last year, as they jumped out to a three-score lead before the end of the first quarter. But the Badgers adjusted their defensive approach against the speedier ’Rabbits and slowly got back into contention, eventually pulling off the comeback win 36-33. Shannon hopes to get the same end result again this Friday, though he could do without the falling-behind part.
“We have to tackle well,” Shannon said. “Defensively, we can’t let them get out in the open, and we just have to pound the ground game on them and try to wear them down.”
SPORTS STORY >> Panthers have to be better
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Catholic Rockets blast into Panther Stadium on Friday as a non conference opponent for the first time in six years. They’re bringing an inexperienced offense to face Cabot and the two teams are coming off different results in their openers.
Cabot played their opener last Tuesday and beat Jacksonville 28-0. Catholic opened with a resurgent Little Rock Central and lost 28-13.
Cabot coach Mike Malham still thinks his team will have to improve this week to get its second win.
“We got out of the first one with a win, but we have to get better because Catholic is probably going to be better than Jacksonville,” Malham said.
The Panthers played excellent defense against the Red Devils, especially in the second half. Cabot allowed just one first down in the final two quarters and preserved a shut out. The offense struggled early. Cabot went into halftime leading just 7-0, but better execution and Jacksonville turnovers turned it into a big win.
“Our offensive line I thought could have looked a little better,” Malham said of last Tuesday’s game. “We got better as the game went on so hopefully we can pick up where we left off and keep getting better.”
Catholic coach David Estes believes Cabot is better already than the team his Rockets played last year.
Estes’ team lost eight starters on offense to graduation, including standout quarterback Zach Conque. Conque accounted for 294 of Catholic’s 340 yards of offense in last year’s game against Cabot at War Memorial Stadium. He passed for 202 yards and ran for 92 more in a 28-6 Rocket victory.
Now the key players on offense are the running backs. D.J. Brown, Joseph Mariani and Jeffrey Rogers handle most of the running game, with Brown leading the way.
“I don’t know that we have that big-play ability we had last year,” Estes said. “What we’re about this year is controlling the line of scrimmage, controlling the clock and playing solid fundamental football.
“I look at Cabot’s game film this year and I see Cabot. They have more speed in their offensive backfield. Their line is a year older and a year better and they have a little more speed in the defensive backfield. We’re going to have to be a better team than we were last to beat them.”
The Rockets’ core of running backs is an impressive-looking group to the head Panther.
“Their running backs looked good against Central,” Malham said. “They get after it pretty good and they run hard. I thought we tackled pretty well against Jacksonville. They had some speed guys and we did a good job of getting them down when we got hold of them. Catholic is going to be different. Their backs are big and strong and we’re going to have to be physical.”
Malham was also pleased with his running backs, despite the lack of offensive numbers against Jacksonville.
“I thought our backs ran well,” Malham said. “Even when we didn’t get the blocking we need, we got some yards that our backs fought for and got on their own. Like I said, the blocking got better later in the game and we’re just going to keep trying to improve.”
Catholic’s week-one opponent has struggled in recent years. The Central Tigers didn’t win a game for two seasons before going 3-7 last year. Estes wasn’t pleased with his team’s overall performance, but did see something he thinks his young squad can build on.
“We had a lot of first-game nerves and we just have to get them calmed down and get them to run things like we run it in practice,” Estes said. “We did that one time last week and we went down and scored. We have a chance to become more consistent and if we can do that, we’ll be a better team than we were in our first game.”
Malham believes Catholic’s loss was more indicative of Central’s improvements than a drop-off by Catholic.
“Central has just gotten better,” Malham said. “Coach (Ellis) Register has the kids back out. Their numbers were down and now they’re back up. He has some talented kids on that football team. And that was a close game. Central scored right at the end to make it two touchdowns, but if they were to play 10 times, they might go 5-5.
“I think our game is close like that going into it. To me it’s a toss up.”
Leader sports editor
The Catholic Rockets blast into Panther Stadium on Friday as a non conference opponent for the first time in six years. They’re bringing an inexperienced offense to face Cabot and the two teams are coming off different results in their openers.
Cabot played their opener last Tuesday and beat Jacksonville 28-0. Catholic opened with a resurgent Little Rock Central and lost 28-13.
Cabot coach Mike Malham still thinks his team will have to improve this week to get its second win.
“We got out of the first one with a win, but we have to get better because Catholic is probably going to be better than Jacksonville,” Malham said.
The Panthers played excellent defense against the Red Devils, especially in the second half. Cabot allowed just one first down in the final two quarters and preserved a shut out. The offense struggled early. Cabot went into halftime leading just 7-0, but better execution and Jacksonville turnovers turned it into a big win.
“Our offensive line I thought could have looked a little better,” Malham said of last Tuesday’s game. “We got better as the game went on so hopefully we can pick up where we left off and keep getting better.”
Catholic coach David Estes believes Cabot is better already than the team his Rockets played last year.
Estes’ team lost eight starters on offense to graduation, including standout quarterback Zach Conque. Conque accounted for 294 of Catholic’s 340 yards of offense in last year’s game against Cabot at War Memorial Stadium. He passed for 202 yards and ran for 92 more in a 28-6 Rocket victory.
Now the key players on offense are the running backs. D.J. Brown, Joseph Mariani and Jeffrey Rogers handle most of the running game, with Brown leading the way.
“I don’t know that we have that big-play ability we had last year,” Estes said. “What we’re about this year is controlling the line of scrimmage, controlling the clock and playing solid fundamental football.
“I look at Cabot’s game film this year and I see Cabot. They have more speed in their offensive backfield. Their line is a year older and a year better and they have a little more speed in the defensive backfield. We’re going to have to be a better team than we were last to beat them.”
The Rockets’ core of running backs is an impressive-looking group to the head Panther.
“Their running backs looked good against Central,” Malham said. “They get after it pretty good and they run hard. I thought we tackled pretty well against Jacksonville. They had some speed guys and we did a good job of getting them down when we got hold of them. Catholic is going to be different. Their backs are big and strong and we’re going to have to be physical.”
Malham was also pleased with his running backs, despite the lack of offensive numbers against Jacksonville.
“I thought our backs ran well,” Malham said. “Even when we didn’t get the blocking we need, we got some yards that our backs fought for and got on their own. Like I said, the blocking got better later in the game and we’re just going to keep trying to improve.”
Catholic’s week-one opponent has struggled in recent years. The Central Tigers didn’t win a game for two seasons before going 3-7 last year. Estes wasn’t pleased with his team’s overall performance, but did see something he thinks his young squad can build on.
“We had a lot of first-game nerves and we just have to get them calmed down and get them to run things like we run it in practice,” Estes said. “We did that one time last week and we went down and scored. We have a chance to become more consistent and if we can do that, we’ll be a better team than we were in our first game.”
Malham believes Catholic’s loss was more indicative of Central’s improvements than a drop-off by Catholic.
“Central has just gotten better,” Malham said. “Coach (Ellis) Register has the kids back out. Their numbers were down and now they’re back up. He has some talented kids on that football team. And that was a close game. Central scored right at the end to make it two touchdowns, but if they were to play 10 times, they might go 5-5.
“I think our game is close like that going into it. To me it’s a toss up.”
Saturday, September 01, 2012
SPORTS STORY >> Twinkle town leaves cloud over Lonoke
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
It was an opening night choked full of big plays and large momentum shifts as Star City out-dueled Lonoke in a 44-35 scrapper at James B. Abraham Stadium on Friday.
The Bulldogs played many of their standouts on both sides, which made endurance a problem in the late going for the visitors. That gave the Jackrabbits multiple chances to close within one score after falling behind 28-7 early in the third quarter.
Lonoke fought its way back with two quick scores later in the third to pull within 28-22, and that set the stage for the back-and-forth shootout that ensued.
Star City had no shortage of playmakers, led by junior quarterback Zack House, who led all rushers with 17 carries for 192 yards and a touchdown on top of his safety duties on defense.
“He was a horse tonight,” Star City coach Blair Brown said. “And he is by far our most experienced defensive player. He had a heck of a ballgame. We were playing a lot of kids both ways. We showed our depth tonight – we had some issues with cramps and injuries. We lost three linebackers during the game and still prevailed. Every time we needed our offense to answer, they did.”
There was no shortage of big plays on Lonoke’s end, as junior quarterback Grant Dewey completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 251 yards and two touchdowns. The Jackrabbits first scored on a missed assignment by Star City’s defense, which left senior receiver D.J. Burton wide open on the right side of the field for a 65-yard touchdown toss from Dewey with 7:50 remaining in the first half. Burton took the wide screen and ran up the sideline untouched to tie the game at six, and junior kicker Jose Garcia added the extra point to give the ’Rabbits their only lead of the game, 7-6.
Junior receiver Blake Mack was the recipient on the other long touchdown pass for Lonoke. Mack caught Dewey’s pass on the left side and cut to the middle to avoid defenders before breaking left again at the 9:19 mark of the third quarter to cut Star City’s lead to 28-15 following Burton’s successful Wildcat run to convert two more points.
The Jackrabbits took the ball over on downs and struck again, this time on the strength of senior tailback Eric Williams, who gave Lonoke a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line with a 32-yard rumble up the gut. Williams got the call again on first down and went the rest of the way to make it 28-22.
House answered for Star City with his only touchdown of the night on a nine-yard run with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter. He also ran in the two-point conversion to stretch the Bulldogs’ lead once again, 36-22.
Lonoke looked as if it would strike quickly on its ensuing possession with a 20-yard run by senior tailback Brent Sims that would have given the Jackrabbits a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line, but a personal foul penalty for an illegal block backed them up to the Star City 11-yard line.
That killed momentum for the drive, as junior receiver Kody Smith was caught well behind the line of scrimmage on a pass from Dewey for a 12-yard loss, followed by short gain on a catch by Blake Gooden and two incompletions to give the ball back to the Bulldogs on downs.
The endless good-break, bad-break scenarios continued for the Jackrabbits on the next Star City drive. Lonoke stood up on defense and forced a 4th-and-11, but was called for an illegal substitution on the punt. That gave the Bulldogs a fresh set of downs.
The Jackrabbits eventually did get the ball back without giving up a score, and Williams took advantage with three consecutive carries for a combined 22 yards, including the six-yard tote to score with 8:24 remaining.
That closed the gap to 36-29, but Star City senior all-purpose player Lavante Gardner put a damper on yet another Lonoke attempt at a comeback when he returned Garcia’s kickoff 88 yards for another Bulldog score, this one to give them a 42-29 lead.
“We did an outstanding job in our kicking game,” Brown said. “Lavante Gardner, my gosh, we muff a punt, and he takes it and gets a first down. His kick returns were outstanding.
Lonoke kept digging and almost pulled even a third time when junior lineman Styver Hamric recovered a fumble when a shotgun snap got away from House and rolled back to the Star City 8-yard line.
The Jackrabbits were penalized for a false start and moved back to the 13, but Williams made it up on first down with an eight-yard carry, followed by another Wildcat run by Burton for the touchdown at the 4:55 mark of the fourth quarter. The extra-point attempt was foiled by a bad snap to leave the score at 42-35.
Lonoke took over once more on downs but was pinned deep in its own territory at the 5-yard line.
A bobbled snap on the Jackrabbits’ end resulted in Williams falling on the ball in the end zone for a safety to set the final margin.
Williams carried 16 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns for Lonoke, and had four receptions for 56 yards. The Jackrabbits finished with 381 total yards on offense.
For Star City, Gardner carried 13 times for 134 yards and a touchdown while Davis had 12 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs had 511 yards offense.
Leader sportswriter
It was an opening night choked full of big plays and large momentum shifts as Star City out-dueled Lonoke in a 44-35 scrapper at James B. Abraham Stadium on Friday.
The Bulldogs played many of their standouts on both sides, which made endurance a problem in the late going for the visitors. That gave the Jackrabbits multiple chances to close within one score after falling behind 28-7 early in the third quarter.
Lonoke fought its way back with two quick scores later in the third to pull within 28-22, and that set the stage for the back-and-forth shootout that ensued.
Star City had no shortage of playmakers, led by junior quarterback Zack House, who led all rushers with 17 carries for 192 yards and a touchdown on top of his safety duties on defense.
“He was a horse tonight,” Star City coach Blair Brown said. “And he is by far our most experienced defensive player. He had a heck of a ballgame. We were playing a lot of kids both ways. We showed our depth tonight – we had some issues with cramps and injuries. We lost three linebackers during the game and still prevailed. Every time we needed our offense to answer, they did.”
There was no shortage of big plays on Lonoke’s end, as junior quarterback Grant Dewey completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 251 yards and two touchdowns. The Jackrabbits first scored on a missed assignment by Star City’s defense, which left senior receiver D.J. Burton wide open on the right side of the field for a 65-yard touchdown toss from Dewey with 7:50 remaining in the first half. Burton took the wide screen and ran up the sideline untouched to tie the game at six, and junior kicker Jose Garcia added the extra point to give the ’Rabbits their only lead of the game, 7-6.
Junior receiver Blake Mack was the recipient on the other long touchdown pass for Lonoke. Mack caught Dewey’s pass on the left side and cut to the middle to avoid defenders before breaking left again at the 9:19 mark of the third quarter to cut Star City’s lead to 28-15 following Burton’s successful Wildcat run to convert two more points.
The Jackrabbits took the ball over on downs and struck again, this time on the strength of senior tailback Eric Williams, who gave Lonoke a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line with a 32-yard rumble up the gut. Williams got the call again on first down and went the rest of the way to make it 28-22.
House answered for Star City with his only touchdown of the night on a nine-yard run with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter. He also ran in the two-point conversion to stretch the Bulldogs’ lead once again, 36-22.
Lonoke looked as if it would strike quickly on its ensuing possession with a 20-yard run by senior tailback Brent Sims that would have given the Jackrabbits a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line, but a personal foul penalty for an illegal block backed them up to the Star City 11-yard line.
That killed momentum for the drive, as junior receiver Kody Smith was caught well behind the line of scrimmage on a pass from Dewey for a 12-yard loss, followed by short gain on a catch by Blake Gooden and two incompletions to give the ball back to the Bulldogs on downs.
The endless good-break, bad-break scenarios continued for the Jackrabbits on the next Star City drive. Lonoke stood up on defense and forced a 4th-and-11, but was called for an illegal substitution on the punt. That gave the Bulldogs a fresh set of downs.
The Jackrabbits eventually did get the ball back without giving up a score, and Williams took advantage with three consecutive carries for a combined 22 yards, including the six-yard tote to score with 8:24 remaining.
That closed the gap to 36-29, but Star City senior all-purpose player Lavante Gardner put a damper on yet another Lonoke attempt at a comeback when he returned Garcia’s kickoff 88 yards for another Bulldog score, this one to give them a 42-29 lead.
“We did an outstanding job in our kicking game,” Brown said. “Lavante Gardner, my gosh, we muff a punt, and he takes it and gets a first down. His kick returns were outstanding.
Lonoke kept digging and almost pulled even a third time when junior lineman Styver Hamric recovered a fumble when a shotgun snap got away from House and rolled back to the Star City 8-yard line.
The Jackrabbits were penalized for a false start and moved back to the 13, but Williams made it up on first down with an eight-yard carry, followed by another Wildcat run by Burton for the touchdown at the 4:55 mark of the fourth quarter. The extra-point attempt was foiled by a bad snap to leave the score at 42-35.
Lonoke took over once more on downs but was pinned deep in its own territory at the 5-yard line.
A bobbled snap on the Jackrabbits’ end resulted in Williams falling on the ball in the end zone for a safety to set the final margin.
Williams carried 16 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns for Lonoke, and had four receptions for 56 yards. The Jackrabbits finished with 381 total yards on offense.
For Star City, Gardner carried 13 times for 134 yards and a touchdown while Davis had 12 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs had 511 yards offense.
SPORTS STORY >> Wildcats pounce on Lake Hamilton
The North Little Rock Charging Wildcats came up big in their season opener with a 42-7 blowout victory at Lake Hamilton on Friday.
The Wildcats got the job done by committee as senior standout Altee Tenpenny led the way with 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns while classmate and fellow Division I college prospect Juan Day added 62 yards and another pair of scores for North Little Rock. Senior Rodney Bryson finished with 59 yards and a touchdown, while junior quarterback Peyton Holmes completed 6 of 10 pass attempts for 74 yards, and converted the Charging Wildcats’ final score of the game on the ground from a yard out.
Tenpenny struck first for North Little Rock with a nine-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, and added to the Charging Wildcats’ lead later in the first with a two-yard rush into the end zone. Sophomore kicker Sandy Burks added the point-after successfully both times, and went 4 for 5 on extra points on the night.
Bryson got in on the scoring action in the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown run, and Day got his scores on long runs of 42 and 20 yards. Dion Tidwell also scored on a two-point conversion run for the Charging Wildcats.
Next week, North Little Rock will venture out of state to face Longview High School in Longview, Tex. in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Lake Hamilton will try to recover on Friday against Earle in another home game at Wolf Stadium.
The Wildcats got the job done by committee as senior standout Altee Tenpenny led the way with 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns while classmate and fellow Division I college prospect Juan Day added 62 yards and another pair of scores for North Little Rock. Senior Rodney Bryson finished with 59 yards and a touchdown, while junior quarterback Peyton Holmes completed 6 of 10 pass attempts for 74 yards, and converted the Charging Wildcats’ final score of the game on the ground from a yard out.
Tenpenny struck first for North Little Rock with a nine-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, and added to the Charging Wildcats’ lead later in the first with a two-yard rush into the end zone. Sophomore kicker Sandy Burks added the point-after successfully both times, and went 4 for 5 on extra points on the night.
Bryson got in on the scoring action in the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown run, and Day got his scores on long runs of 42 and 20 yards. Dion Tidwell also scored on a two-point conversion run for the Charging Wildcats.
Next week, North Little Rock will venture out of state to face Longview High School in Longview, Tex. in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Lake Hamilton will try to recover on Friday against Earle in another home game at Wolf Stadium.
SPORTS STORY >> Lady Wildcats top Cabot in three
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
After a near double-digit win for North Little Rock in the first game of Thursday’s volleyball match with Cabot, the Lady Panthers gave the Lady Charging Wildcats all they could handle in the next two games, but fell just short in both as North Little Rock won the match 25-16, 26-24, 26-24 at Panther Arena.
Cabot never led in game one, but managed to stay within striking distance until the Wildcats reached the 20-point mark. Leading 20-15, NLR outscored Cabot 5-1 down the stretch and took the game on a kill from senior outside hitter Kelsie Claussen.
North Little Rock’s momentum carried over in the second game. Lady Wildcats jumped out to an 8-2 lead, forcing a Cabot timeout. However, North Little Rock stayed in control and appeared to be on its way to a lopsided win after leading 21-12. But the Lady Panthers scrapped their way back into the game.
Cabot scored the next point and with junior middle blocker Lakin Best serving, Cabot went on a furious 7-2 run to cut North Little Rock’s lead to three. The Lady Charging Wildcats scored the next point to lead 24-20, but Cabot’s Bailee Uhiren picked up a kill that sparked the Lady Panthers to go on another run and tie the score at 24.
Best nearly gave Cabot its first lead of the game as she went for a kill at the middle of the net, but senior middle blocker Keedra Johnson timed the attempt just right and blocked the ball back over the net, giving North Little Rock the lead once again.
Johnson closed the game for North Little Rock with a kill on the next serve, and the Lady Charging Wildcats earned the close 26-24 win.
“At first they got a little sloppy,” said Lady Charging Wildcats coach Becky Mat-thews about the close win. “They got a little slacked and a little lazy, and they weren’t moving their feet. I got a little mad in the huddle and I think that sparked them a little bit. A couple of the girls were a little angry too, and I think it just came down to they really wanted it badly.”
Down two games to none, Cabot’s spirits could’ve been weakened after such a heartbreaking loss, but the team kept scrapping with the athletic Lady Charging Wildcats in the third game. The two teams traded leads until Cabot’s senior setter Brylee Staten picked up back-to-back aces on serves, which gave the Lady Panthers a 9-7 lead.
After Staten’s aces, Cabot went on a 5-1 run to lead 14-8. It was the largest lead Cabot would have for the remainder of the game. The Lady Panthers continued to score, but the Wildcats kept the margin close. Cabot gained the advantage late, leading 20-16, but the Lady Charging Wildcats quickly cut the Lady Panthers’ lead to one after scoring the next three points.
Cabot then picked up two points in a row to lead 22-19. NLR scored again, but Cabot answered with another score to lead 23-20. The Lady Charging Wildcats responded by scoring the next four points to grab a 24-23 lead – their first since leading 7-6 in the game.
The Lady Panthers answered with a clutch kill from Best to tie the score at 24, but North Little Rock regained the lead with a kill from Keandra Tillman. Johnson closed the game again for North Little Rock with a kill over the middle of the net that gave the Lady Charging Wildcats another hard-earned 26-24 win.
“That’s the best we’ve ever played mentally,” said Cabot coach DeAnna Campbell. “That’s the hardest we’ve ever attacked, the hardest we’ve ever gone for something. The first game they were trying to get the timing down, because we haven’t seen anything like (NLR). But now they know they can play with those girls. Sometimes we just don’t have a lot of luck, but if we keep fighting like that we’re going to win.”
Johnson led North Little Rock with 16 kills to go with eight blocks. Claussen had 10 kills while senior setter Katie Drake had 18 assists for the Lady Charging Wildcats. Uhiren led Cabot in kills and assists with nine each. Taylor Bitely had eight kills and six blocks for the Lady Panthers. Best finished the match with seven kills and eight blocks.
Leader sportswriter
After a near double-digit win for North Little Rock in the first game of Thursday’s volleyball match with Cabot, the Lady Panthers gave the Lady Charging Wildcats all they could handle in the next two games, but fell just short in both as North Little Rock won the match 25-16, 26-24, 26-24 at Panther Arena.
Cabot never led in game one, but managed to stay within striking distance until the Wildcats reached the 20-point mark. Leading 20-15, NLR outscored Cabot 5-1 down the stretch and took the game on a kill from senior outside hitter Kelsie Claussen.
North Little Rock’s momentum carried over in the second game. Lady Wildcats jumped out to an 8-2 lead, forcing a Cabot timeout. However, North Little Rock stayed in control and appeared to be on its way to a lopsided win after leading 21-12. But the Lady Panthers scrapped their way back into the game.
Cabot scored the next point and with junior middle blocker Lakin Best serving, Cabot went on a furious 7-2 run to cut North Little Rock’s lead to three. The Lady Charging Wildcats scored the next point to lead 24-20, but Cabot’s Bailee Uhiren picked up a kill that sparked the Lady Panthers to go on another run and tie the score at 24.
Best nearly gave Cabot its first lead of the game as she went for a kill at the middle of the net, but senior middle blocker Keedra Johnson timed the attempt just right and blocked the ball back over the net, giving North Little Rock the lead once again.
Johnson closed the game for North Little Rock with a kill on the next serve, and the Lady Charging Wildcats earned the close 26-24 win.
“At first they got a little sloppy,” said Lady Charging Wildcats coach Becky Mat-thews about the close win. “They got a little slacked and a little lazy, and they weren’t moving their feet. I got a little mad in the huddle and I think that sparked them a little bit. A couple of the girls were a little angry too, and I think it just came down to they really wanted it badly.”
Down two games to none, Cabot’s spirits could’ve been weakened after such a heartbreaking loss, but the team kept scrapping with the athletic Lady Charging Wildcats in the third game. The two teams traded leads until Cabot’s senior setter Brylee Staten picked up back-to-back aces on serves, which gave the Lady Panthers a 9-7 lead.
After Staten’s aces, Cabot went on a 5-1 run to lead 14-8. It was the largest lead Cabot would have for the remainder of the game. The Lady Panthers continued to score, but the Wildcats kept the margin close. Cabot gained the advantage late, leading 20-16, but the Lady Charging Wildcats quickly cut the Lady Panthers’ lead to one after scoring the next three points.
Cabot then picked up two points in a row to lead 22-19. NLR scored again, but Cabot answered with another score to lead 23-20. The Lady Charging Wildcats responded by scoring the next four points to grab a 24-23 lead – their first since leading 7-6 in the game.
The Lady Panthers answered with a clutch kill from Best to tie the score at 24, but North Little Rock regained the lead with a kill from Keandra Tillman. Johnson closed the game again for North Little Rock with a kill over the middle of the net that gave the Lady Charging Wildcats another hard-earned 26-24 win.
“That’s the best we’ve ever played mentally,” said Cabot coach DeAnna Campbell. “That’s the hardest we’ve ever attacked, the hardest we’ve ever gone for something. The first game they were trying to get the timing down, because we haven’t seen anything like (NLR). But now they know they can play with those girls. Sometimes we just don’t have a lot of luck, but if we keep fighting like that we’re going to win.”
Johnson led North Little Rock with 16 kills to go with eight blocks. Claussen had 10 kills while senior setter Katie Drake had 18 assists for the Lady Charging Wildcats. Uhiren led Cabot in kills and assists with nine each. Taylor Bitely had eight kills and six blocks for the Lady Panthers. Best finished the match with seven kills and eight blocks.
SPORTS STORY >> JHS girls slip past Mills, fall to LRCA
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
It was a week of mixed results for the Jacksonville volleyball team.
The Lady Red Devils started the week with a 3-1 victory over Mills University Studies to begin 5A Central Conference play Tuesday, but Thursday’s matchup against a loaded Little Rock Christian team did not go as well. The Lady Warriors took the match in straight games.
Sophomore Bailea Mitchell had a standout performance against Mills, backing seniors Alunte Petties, Shyrel McKinney, Coyja Hood and Katie Lawrence. The Lady Comets used a strong service game to take the opening frame 22-25 before Jacksonville rallied back to sweep the next three games 25-13, 25-21 and 25-19.
“They settled in and found their rhythm,” Lady Red Devils coach Kendra Sauheaver said. “They started playing like I know they can play. They were really excited to get the conference season started on a good note.”
The Lady Warriors feature several year-round players who participate in Junior-Olympic volleyball, which created a mismatch for Jacksonville.
“A lot of them play J.O., and yeah, it made a big difference,” Sauheaver said. “But, when several of their players come up and compliment our kids, it really says a lot.”
The Lady Red Devils were further hampered by having to play without Hood, one of the team’s leading hitters. There were bright spots for Jacksonville, however, as sophomores Taylor Hayden and Asheley Adams got their first taste of varsity court time against one of the state’s most successful programs.
The Lady Warriors took runaway victories in the first two frames before the Lady Red Devils gained ground in the final game which ended in favor of Little Rock Christian 25-13.
The Lady Red Devils are 1-2 overall and 1-1 in 5A Central Conference play, and have shown fast improvement in the young season. Sauheaver continues to work with the team to improve its serve-receive game.
“The serve-receive is what got us,” Sauheaver said of the struggles against Little Rock Christian. “We’ve been working on it. It’s what got us in the first game against Mills, and it happened again against Christian, we just couldn’t get it back.”
The Lady Red Devils return to 5A Central conference play on Thursday with a home match against crosstown rival North Pulaski at the Devils Den with junior-varsity play opening at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity matchup.
Leader sportswriter
It was a week of mixed results for the Jacksonville volleyball team.
The Lady Red Devils started the week with a 3-1 victory over Mills University Studies to begin 5A Central Conference play Tuesday, but Thursday’s matchup against a loaded Little Rock Christian team did not go as well. The Lady Warriors took the match in straight games.
Sophomore Bailea Mitchell had a standout performance against Mills, backing seniors Alunte Petties, Shyrel McKinney, Coyja Hood and Katie Lawrence. The Lady Comets used a strong service game to take the opening frame 22-25 before Jacksonville rallied back to sweep the next three games 25-13, 25-21 and 25-19.
“They settled in and found their rhythm,” Lady Red Devils coach Kendra Sauheaver said. “They started playing like I know they can play. They were really excited to get the conference season started on a good note.”
The Lady Warriors feature several year-round players who participate in Junior-Olympic volleyball, which created a mismatch for Jacksonville.
“A lot of them play J.O., and yeah, it made a big difference,” Sauheaver said. “But, when several of their players come up and compliment our kids, it really says a lot.”
The Lady Red Devils were further hampered by having to play without Hood, one of the team’s leading hitters. There were bright spots for Jacksonville, however, as sophomores Taylor Hayden and Asheley Adams got their first taste of varsity court time against one of the state’s most successful programs.
The Lady Warriors took runaway victories in the first two frames before the Lady Red Devils gained ground in the final game which ended in favor of Little Rock Christian 25-13.
The Lady Red Devils are 1-2 overall and 1-1 in 5A Central Conference play, and have shown fast improvement in the young season. Sauheaver continues to work with the team to improve its serve-receive game.
“The serve-receive is what got us,” Sauheaver said of the struggles against Little Rock Christian. “We’ve been working on it. It’s what got us in the first game against Mills, and it happened again against Christian, we just couldn’t get it back.”
The Lady Red Devils return to 5A Central conference play on Thursday with a home match against crosstown rival North Pulaski at the Devils Den with junior-varsity play opening at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity matchup.
SPORTS STORY >> Falcons stop War Eagles at goal line
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
They didn’t make it easy. They didn’t make it pretty, but they made it happen. The North Pulaski Falcons beat J.A. Fair 13-12 Friday night in Little Rock to open the 2012 football season. The win gives second-year coach Teodis Ingram his first victory at North Pulaski and gives the Falcons their first win since 2010.
It came down to a defensive stand on a two-point conversion with 52 seconds remaining. Fair lined up in the spread and handed off to Isaac Nelson. Nelson cut inside, but was tripped up by sophomore defensive tackle David Jackson at the 1-yard line to preserve the victory.
As North Pulaski took a knee to run out the clock, defensive back Daniel Drone said to Ingram, “We did it for you coach.” Drone explained what he meant.
“Coach Ingram has just meant so much to this team,” Drone said. “He came here last year and he’s really worked hard to get people out on the team, get them to work hard. I’m really happy for him that we were able to get this win for him.”
The War Eagles scored on a busted play to pull within a point. Fair quarterback Damariaus Robinson was flushed out of the pocket and began to scramble. The Falcons’ defensive backfield, which was solid all night, left coverage too soon to rush the quarterback before he crossed the line of scrimmage. Robinson spotted Rodney Thomas all alone at the 10-yard line. Thomas hauled in the 40-yard pass and walked into the end zone. That set up North Pulaski’s two-point conversion stand.
“I just wanted those kids to know what this feels like,” Ingram said. “We did a lot of things wrong and we’ve got a lot of work to do, but they made it happen. Listen, those kids could have lost hope right there but they didn’t. They made a play and they earned that victory.”
North Pulaski dominated the game statistically for most of the game. Penalties were a problem for both teams, but turnovers killed several Falcon drives. North Pulaski lost five fumbles, all of them inside the War Eagle 15-yard line, including two inside the Fair 5-yard line.
“We moved the ball pretty well,” Ingram said. “We missed some things at times, but we moved the ball. We have to take care of it better than that and we have to cut out the penalties. We’re going to play a lot better football teams than this, and we’re not going to beat good football teams turning it over five times.”
Ingram blamed some of the mistakes on not having a preseason scrimmage opponent. The Falcons were scheduled to play in a jamboree at Joe T. Robinson, but their opponent cancelled.
“I think that has a lot to do with it,” Ingram said. “It was first-game jitters and it was worse than usual because this was the first time my guys had been on the field against someone else.”
The Falcons held JA Fair to negative 4 yards in the first half. They got the ball to the Eagle 13-yard line on their first possession, but fumbled it away.
After a defensive stop, North Pulaski got the ball back at the Fair 42 and drove to the 11-yard line before fumbling it away again.
Fair got its one and only first down of the first half on a pass interference call, but the Falcons stopped the Eagles and took over on downs on their own 45.
This time they drove to the 23-yard line before a bad call started a backwards momentum that didn’t stop until Fair had scored to take the lead.
A 37-yard pass play from Doug Gates to Nick Weaver put North Pulaski on the 23-yard line. From there Damon Thomas was stopped for a 2-yard loss. The Falcons moved early twice before the next snap, resulting in second and 22 from the 35-yard line. Fred Thomas was stopped for a 1-yard gain on a screen pass to make it third down and 21. Gates re-entered at quarterback for Steven Farrior, and hit Yakeem Young at the 3-yard line, but the line judge called offensive pass interference. Another flag came out and the Falcons were called for unsportsmanlike conduct, which is 15 yards and a loss of down. It all left NP punting from its own 49-yard line, but the backwards momentum wasn’t finished.
The punt snap was high. Punter Dylan Swaggerty chased the ball down and managed to kick it from his 22-yard line, but it was blocked by Robinson. Ladarious Slater picked it up at the 13-yard line and carried it into the end zone. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful and Fair led 6-0 with 8:06 left in the first half.
The Falcons wasted little time answering. Damon Thomas took the first handoff of the ensuing drive 25 yards to the Fair 33. Another motion penalty pushed it back 5 yards and two more plays gained just 1 yard. On third and 14, Gates hit Fred Thomas for a 12-yard gain. On fourth down, Fred Thomas took it 26 yards up the middle for the score.
North Pulaski’s first two drives of the second half ended on downs.
Fair finally put together a good drive late in the third quarter, moving from their own 34 to the North Pulaski 13 before the Falcons’ defense held on fourth and 6.
North Pulaski then drove from their own 13 all the way to the War Eagle 1-yard line before another fumble thwarted the drive.
The Falcon defense again held Fair without a first down, and the offense took over at the Eagle 31 after the punt. It took seven plays with Farrior getting the last 6 yards on a quarterback keeper with 2:55 left in the game.
The extra point snap was low, leaving the score 13-6.
Fair picked up 126 yards in the second half to finish with 122 in the game. North Pulaski finished with 263 total yards. The net yards for both teams is much less. Fair was flagged eight times for 53 yards. North Pulaski was called for 11 penalties totaling 70 yards.
Damon Thomas led all players with 22 carries for 116 yards. The junior also had one reception for 11 yards on third and 8 that set up NP’s final touchdown.
Fred Thomas carried six times for 67 yards for a 10.7 yards-per-carry average, but fumbled twice. He also made four catches for 31 yards.
North Pulaski will play its home opener on Friday against Maumelle. Fair will travel to Joe T. Robinson.
Leader sports editor
They didn’t make it easy. They didn’t make it pretty, but they made it happen. The North Pulaski Falcons beat J.A. Fair 13-12 Friday night in Little Rock to open the 2012 football season. The win gives second-year coach Teodis Ingram his first victory at North Pulaski and gives the Falcons their first win since 2010.
It came down to a defensive stand on a two-point conversion with 52 seconds remaining. Fair lined up in the spread and handed off to Isaac Nelson. Nelson cut inside, but was tripped up by sophomore defensive tackle David Jackson at the 1-yard line to preserve the victory.
As North Pulaski took a knee to run out the clock, defensive back Daniel Drone said to Ingram, “We did it for you coach.” Drone explained what he meant.
“Coach Ingram has just meant so much to this team,” Drone said. “He came here last year and he’s really worked hard to get people out on the team, get them to work hard. I’m really happy for him that we were able to get this win for him.”
The War Eagles scored on a busted play to pull within a point. Fair quarterback Damariaus Robinson was flushed out of the pocket and began to scramble. The Falcons’ defensive backfield, which was solid all night, left coverage too soon to rush the quarterback before he crossed the line of scrimmage. Robinson spotted Rodney Thomas all alone at the 10-yard line. Thomas hauled in the 40-yard pass and walked into the end zone. That set up North Pulaski’s two-point conversion stand.
“I just wanted those kids to know what this feels like,” Ingram said. “We did a lot of things wrong and we’ve got a lot of work to do, but they made it happen. Listen, those kids could have lost hope right there but they didn’t. They made a play and they earned that victory.”
North Pulaski dominated the game statistically for most of the game. Penalties were a problem for both teams, but turnovers killed several Falcon drives. North Pulaski lost five fumbles, all of them inside the War Eagle 15-yard line, including two inside the Fair 5-yard line.
“We moved the ball pretty well,” Ingram said. “We missed some things at times, but we moved the ball. We have to take care of it better than that and we have to cut out the penalties. We’re going to play a lot better football teams than this, and we’re not going to beat good football teams turning it over five times.”
Ingram blamed some of the mistakes on not having a preseason scrimmage opponent. The Falcons were scheduled to play in a jamboree at Joe T. Robinson, but their opponent cancelled.
“I think that has a lot to do with it,” Ingram said. “It was first-game jitters and it was worse than usual because this was the first time my guys had been on the field against someone else.”
The Falcons held JA Fair to negative 4 yards in the first half. They got the ball to the Eagle 13-yard line on their first possession, but fumbled it away.
After a defensive stop, North Pulaski got the ball back at the Fair 42 and drove to the 11-yard line before fumbling it away again.
Fair got its one and only first down of the first half on a pass interference call, but the Falcons stopped the Eagles and took over on downs on their own 45.
This time they drove to the 23-yard line before a bad call started a backwards momentum that didn’t stop until Fair had scored to take the lead.
A 37-yard pass play from Doug Gates to Nick Weaver put North Pulaski on the 23-yard line. From there Damon Thomas was stopped for a 2-yard loss. The Falcons moved early twice before the next snap, resulting in second and 22 from the 35-yard line. Fred Thomas was stopped for a 1-yard gain on a screen pass to make it third down and 21. Gates re-entered at quarterback for Steven Farrior, and hit Yakeem Young at the 3-yard line, but the line judge called offensive pass interference. Another flag came out and the Falcons were called for unsportsmanlike conduct, which is 15 yards and a loss of down. It all left NP punting from its own 49-yard line, but the backwards momentum wasn’t finished.
The punt snap was high. Punter Dylan Swaggerty chased the ball down and managed to kick it from his 22-yard line, but it was blocked by Robinson. Ladarious Slater picked it up at the 13-yard line and carried it into the end zone. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful and Fair led 6-0 with 8:06 left in the first half.
The Falcons wasted little time answering. Damon Thomas took the first handoff of the ensuing drive 25 yards to the Fair 33. Another motion penalty pushed it back 5 yards and two more plays gained just 1 yard. On third and 14, Gates hit Fred Thomas for a 12-yard gain. On fourth down, Fred Thomas took it 26 yards up the middle for the score.
North Pulaski’s first two drives of the second half ended on downs.
Fair finally put together a good drive late in the third quarter, moving from their own 34 to the North Pulaski 13 before the Falcons’ defense held on fourth and 6.
North Pulaski then drove from their own 13 all the way to the War Eagle 1-yard line before another fumble thwarted the drive.
The Falcon defense again held Fair without a first down, and the offense took over at the Eagle 31 after the punt. It took seven plays with Farrior getting the last 6 yards on a quarterback keeper with 2:55 left in the game.
The extra point snap was low, leaving the score 13-6.
Fair picked up 126 yards in the second half to finish with 122 in the game. North Pulaski finished with 263 total yards. The net yards for both teams is much less. Fair was flagged eight times for 53 yards. North Pulaski was called for 11 penalties totaling 70 yards.
Damon Thomas led all players with 22 carries for 116 yards. The junior also had one reception for 11 yards on third and 8 that set up NP’s final touchdown.
Fred Thomas carried six times for 67 yards for a 10.7 yards-per-carry average, but fumbled twice. He also made four catches for 31 yards.
North Pulaski will play its home opener on Friday against Maumelle. Fair will travel to Joe T. Robinson.
Friday, August 31, 2012
EDITORIAL >> Clint bombs in Tampa
Though The Leader has not admired Clint Eastwood since “Every Which Way But Loose,” the actor’s 1978 swan song in which he co-starred with Clyde the orangutan, we worry that his performance on Thursday at the Republican National Convention may further deplete his legacy as an actor.
Eastwood’s endorsement of Romney was bizarre. It included an awkward comedy routine where he argued with an imaginary President Obama in an empty chair. The routine would have been funny for about 15 seconds.
Though Dirty Harry’s was as insincere as most of the speeches at the event, many in the audience seemed a little uncomfortable with the 82-year-old’s criticism of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, which he said can’t be won because “we didn’t check with the Russians to see how they did there for 10 years.” The remark still drew several cheers.
He belted out the usual sound-bite Obama potshots, while struggling to remember his lines complimenting Romney. The speech included several long pauses.
But the spaghetti western star’s rambling introduction still stole the show. He even told the crowd to “save a little for Mitt.” The Wall Street titan was upstaged by the Hollywood hero.
Romney is hoping for a fate better than that other Eastwood co-star.
Clyde the orangutan died of a brain hemorrhage shortly after filming a sequel with Eastwood during which he was severely beaten by his trainers, as documented by primatologist Jane Goodall.
Will Morgan Freeman, another Eastwood co-star, get to do an improv at the Democratic convention? Perhaps it’s best to keep Hollywood out of these conventions. Not since Ronald Reagan has an old actor brought a convention to its feet, but Thursday night Dirty Harry missed badly.
Eastwood’s endorsement of Romney was bizarre. It included an awkward comedy routine where he argued with an imaginary President Obama in an empty chair. The routine would have been funny for about 15 seconds.
Though Dirty Harry’s was as insincere as most of the speeches at the event, many in the audience seemed a little uncomfortable with the 82-year-old’s criticism of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, which he said can’t be won because “we didn’t check with the Russians to see how they did there for 10 years.” The remark still drew several cheers.
He belted out the usual sound-bite Obama potshots, while struggling to remember his lines complimenting Romney. The speech included several long pauses.
But the spaghetti western star’s rambling introduction still stole the show. He even told the crowd to “save a little for Mitt.” The Wall Street titan was upstaged by the Hollywood hero.
Romney is hoping for a fate better than that other Eastwood co-star.
Clyde the orangutan died of a brain hemorrhage shortly after filming a sequel with Eastwood during which he was severely beaten by his trainers, as documented by primatologist Jane Goodall.
Will Morgan Freeman, another Eastwood co-star, get to do an improv at the Democratic convention? Perhaps it’s best to keep Hollywood out of these conventions. Not since Ronald Reagan has an old actor brought a convention to its feet, but Thursday night Dirty Harry missed badly.
TOP STORY >> Farmers fear too much rain
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
After a rainless season of sizzling heat, followed late this week by Tropical Storm Isaac’s wind-driven rain storms, Lonoke County-area farmers are stuck between a drought and a wet place.
Rice farmers worked around the clock to harvest their crop and move it to driers or covered storage ahead of the rains. Long lines of trucks waited to offload their rice at Riceland and elsewhere before racing back to their farms for another load before the rain came.
Despite flooding in Pine Bluff and high waters cutting off some roads in England, actual flooding is not yet a problem for area farmers. A new storm front was expected on Friday however.
Pine Bluff received 7.82 inches of rain in about 24 hours. In Lonoke County farmers received a more manageable 2 to 4 inches.
Rich Hillman of Carlisle, a Lonoke and Prairie County rice farmer, said, “After this flood, that may be past tense,” with a smile you could hear over the phone.
Hillman is a fifth-generation farmer who planted his first crops in 1987, He says he is much older in farmer years.
“Kind of like dog years,” Hillman said. “I’m 49 and getting older by the hour.”
“It wasn’t very bad this morning until a couple hours ago,” he said at about 11 a.m. Friday.
Hillman, who is a Farm Bureau vice president, had gotten about three inches of rain Thursday and overnight. “It’s been relentless since. Probably another three inches since and its probably raining about an inch every half hour.”
He had about 60 percent of his crop in before the rain hit. Ideally, rice is harvested at 19 percent moisture or less. His harvest was 13 to 14 percent, but the rain stopped the harvest dead in its tracks. The wind knocked grains off the heads and knocked plants over as well.
He figures he’s losing about 10 to 20 percent of his remaining crop, and what he salvages is likely to be downgraded.
He will still harvest those fields when the rain eventually stops — and the Weather Channel says there’s more to come — he will not be able to get his combines back into the fields for a while.
A single combine can harvest 40 to 50 acres a day in normal conditions. But after the stalks are knocked over and the fields are wet, a combine can harvest 15 to 20 acres per day.
On the positive side, he said, “It will help if we can cease to irrigate.
“I haven’t turned irrigation pumps off until about five days ago,” Hillman said. “We started irrigating rice the first week of May and haven’t stopped.”
Farmers like Hillman have scores of irrigation pumps. It can cost a farmer about $3,000 a month to pump from a 100-foot well, but some wells are 400-feet deep and can run up a diesel or electric bill of $10,000 a month, he said.
Hillman said it would greatly benefit not only the farmers, but towns and communities east of Little Rock in the Grand Prairie if Congress would fund the two stalled irrigation projects – the Grand Prairie Project and the Bayou Meto Basin Water Management project.
Hillman said he has farms in each of those areas.
“If we run out of water, we’ll see a mass exodus of population,” according to Hillman. “We’ll all be dry-land farmers, not much money in that.”
Lonoke County Chief Extension Agent Jeff Welch said, “Before rain came in, farmers were working 24 hours a day to harvest rice.”
Throughout the county, farmers got between two and four inches of rain Thursday and Friday and winds of 25 miles and hour.
He said the rain and wind have driven thousands of acres of rice to the ground where it can be harvested only with great difficulty.
“A farmer can lose 20 bushels to 70 bushels an acre,” he said.
Typically, farmers get 180 to 190 bushels an acre.
The rains are “a God send” for cattle producers.
They may be able to get a second cutting of hay, and can put pastures in small-grain crops for winter forage. The y are planting wheat, rye and rey grass and a new crop, tritacale, which is a cross between rye and wheat.
The corn crop is nearly all harvested and because of early planting, the yield is higher than average and in some cases extraordinary, Welch said.
An average good yield would be about 200 bushels an acre, but this year there are fields yielding 230 to 275 bushels an acre.
“Yields above 230 bushels an acre are unheard of,” he said.
Welch said the rains were sufficient to soak into the ground and also to help refill some on-farm irrigation reservoirs, especially those that can be refilled with water pumped from replenished creeks and ditches or Bayou Meto.
Leader senior staff writer
After a rainless season of sizzling heat, followed late this week by Tropical Storm Isaac’s wind-driven rain storms, Lonoke County-area farmers are stuck between a drought and a wet place.
Rice farmers worked around the clock to harvest their crop and move it to driers or covered storage ahead of the rains. Long lines of trucks waited to offload their rice at Riceland and elsewhere before racing back to their farms for another load before the rain came.
Despite flooding in Pine Bluff and high waters cutting off some roads in England, actual flooding is not yet a problem for area farmers. A new storm front was expected on Friday however.
Pine Bluff received 7.82 inches of rain in about 24 hours. In Lonoke County farmers received a more manageable 2 to 4 inches.
Rich Hillman of Carlisle, a Lonoke and Prairie County rice farmer, said, “After this flood, that may be past tense,” with a smile you could hear over the phone.
Hillman is a fifth-generation farmer who planted his first crops in 1987, He says he is much older in farmer years.
“Kind of like dog years,” Hillman said. “I’m 49 and getting older by the hour.”
“It wasn’t very bad this morning until a couple hours ago,” he said at about 11 a.m. Friday.
Hillman, who is a Farm Bureau vice president, had gotten about three inches of rain Thursday and overnight. “It’s been relentless since. Probably another three inches since and its probably raining about an inch every half hour.”
He had about 60 percent of his crop in before the rain hit. Ideally, rice is harvested at 19 percent moisture or less. His harvest was 13 to 14 percent, but the rain stopped the harvest dead in its tracks. The wind knocked grains off the heads and knocked plants over as well.
He figures he’s losing about 10 to 20 percent of his remaining crop, and what he salvages is likely to be downgraded.
He will still harvest those fields when the rain eventually stops — and the Weather Channel says there’s more to come — he will not be able to get his combines back into the fields for a while.
A single combine can harvest 40 to 50 acres a day in normal conditions. But after the stalks are knocked over and the fields are wet, a combine can harvest 15 to 20 acres per day.
On the positive side, he said, “It will help if we can cease to irrigate.
“I haven’t turned irrigation pumps off until about five days ago,” Hillman said. “We started irrigating rice the first week of May and haven’t stopped.”
Farmers like Hillman have scores of irrigation pumps. It can cost a farmer about $3,000 a month to pump from a 100-foot well, but some wells are 400-feet deep and can run up a diesel or electric bill of $10,000 a month, he said.
Hillman said it would greatly benefit not only the farmers, but towns and communities east of Little Rock in the Grand Prairie if Congress would fund the two stalled irrigation projects – the Grand Prairie Project and the Bayou Meto Basin Water Management project.
Hillman said he has farms in each of those areas.
“If we run out of water, we’ll see a mass exodus of population,” according to Hillman. “We’ll all be dry-land farmers, not much money in that.”
Lonoke County Chief Extension Agent Jeff Welch said, “Before rain came in, farmers were working 24 hours a day to harvest rice.”
Throughout the county, farmers got between two and four inches of rain Thursday and Friday and winds of 25 miles and hour.
He said the rain and wind have driven thousands of acres of rice to the ground where it can be harvested only with great difficulty.
“A farmer can lose 20 bushels to 70 bushels an acre,” he said.
Typically, farmers get 180 to 190 bushels an acre.
The rains are “a God send” for cattle producers.
They may be able to get a second cutting of hay, and can put pastures in small-grain crops for winter forage. The y are planting wheat, rye and rey grass and a new crop, tritacale, which is a cross between rye and wheat.
The corn crop is nearly all harvested and because of early planting, the yield is higher than average and in some cases extraordinary, Welch said.
An average good yield would be about 200 bushels an acre, but this year there are fields yielding 230 to 275 bushels an acre.
“Yields above 230 bushels an acre are unheard of,” he said.
Welch said the rains were sufficient to soak into the ground and also to help refill some on-farm irrigation reservoirs, especially those that can be refilled with water pumped from replenished creeks and ditches or Bayou Meto.
TOP STORY >> Outages reported as storm blows by
By SARAH CAMPBELL
and JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writers
Electric providers are addressing outages as Tropical Storm Isaac pushes wind and rain through central Arkansas this weekend.
As of Friday afternoon, there were 5,358 customers without power in Pulaski County. Most of those were in North Little Rock.
There were five outages in White County after about three inches of rain fell in the area.
On Thursday, Julie Munsell of Entergy said the company was asked to send people to Louisiana.
“We haven’t dispatched the linemen because we want to know what the needs in Arkansas will be,” she said.
Munsell said Entergy has sent some “scouts” out of state. They assess storm damage but don’t restore service, she explained.
“We know it’s coming. We’ve asked people around the state to come in ready to travel,” she added.
By Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service was predicting one quarter to half an inch more rain for the rest of the day and night, not enough to make Beebe street superintendent Jim Greer think flooding would be a problem.
The much-publicized issues in the Windwood subdivision are too big for his department to tackle, Greer said.
But the dry summer has been an opportunity to get ready for a lot of rain elsewhere in Beebe, he said.
His crews have cleaned ditches and replaced some culverts with box bridges, Greer said.
“We’ve done a lot correcting the problems and even another inch or two of rain won’t hurt,” he said.
In Lonoke County, flooding closed East Shafer Road in Lonoke and Red Wine Road south of Carlisle.
By early Friday afternoon, Eddie Cook, director of operations in Cabot, was calling the hurricane a well-prepared for, non-event in his city.
Cook said the sandbags were filled, the generators were checked to make sure they were running well and street department workers were on standby with heavy equipment if it was needed. Some of those workers reported that they had barely slept Thursday night because they were listening to the wind, he said.
But there was no flooding and the wind only knocked down a couple of limbs that were quickly removed. One traffic light controller went out and had to be replaced but that incident doesn’t appear to have been caused by the weather, he said.
A couple of inches of rain were measured at the city sewer plant but instead of a flood, Cabot got a much-needed, slow rain.
“For a non-event, we were very well-prepared,” Cook said.
That was not the case in southern Lonoke County.
“We’ve sent sandbags to England,” said Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin.
“They had a lot more rain in the southern part of the county than in the north. I don’t know the total, but people were pouring six inches out of their rain gauges,” Erwin said.
In White County, Judge Michael Lincoln said his people were ready for a storm and pleased that they didn’t get one.
“We brought in sand and had extra dispatchers on alert.” Lincoln said. “Of course we had all the chainsaws sharpened in case they were needed. But they weren’t.”
As of Friday afternoon, there was one outage reported in White County and no outages reported in Pulaski County.
Tori Moss, communications coordinator for First Electric Cooperative, said the cooperative has a comprehensive emergency response that includes procedures for major outages.
“We want to make sure we can take care of our members first,” she said.
She said customers could help by reporting an outage. They need to call 1-888-827-3322.
Caller ID will match the phone number to the number listed on their account. That is how First Electric will know where the outage is, Moss said.
She said customers could see current outages at www.firstelectric.coop or receive updates from First Electric’s Facebook page.
Moss said the company has not sent any workers outside of the cooperative’s service area.
Kathy Spider of North Little Rock Electric said the business has an ongoing tree-trimming procedure. Fallen limbs and trees are the most common cause of outages during a storm, she explained.
Jill Ponder of the company’s Energy Conservation/Demand Side Management Department, said North Little Rock Electric had not been asked to send workers anywhere Hurricane Isaac made its debut.
She said the company is unique in that it has service crews on duty 24 hours a day.
Ponder said they have asked additional employees to be available during the severe weather.
“We’ll be able to respond. We just made sure the service crews and equipment are ready to go,” she said on Thursday.
Ponder said customers can follow the company on Facebook, Twitter and call 1-888-728-4004 to report an outage.
and JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writers
Electric providers are addressing outages as Tropical Storm Isaac pushes wind and rain through central Arkansas this weekend.
As of Friday afternoon, there were 5,358 customers without power in Pulaski County. Most of those were in North Little Rock.
There were five outages in White County after about three inches of rain fell in the area.
On Thursday, Julie Munsell of Entergy said the company was asked to send people to Louisiana.
“We haven’t dispatched the linemen because we want to know what the needs in Arkansas will be,” she said.
Munsell said Entergy has sent some “scouts” out of state. They assess storm damage but don’t restore service, she explained.
“We know it’s coming. We’ve asked people around the state to come in ready to travel,” she added.
By Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service was predicting one quarter to half an inch more rain for the rest of the day and night, not enough to make Beebe street superintendent Jim Greer think flooding would be a problem.
The much-publicized issues in the Windwood subdivision are too big for his department to tackle, Greer said.
But the dry summer has been an opportunity to get ready for a lot of rain elsewhere in Beebe, he said.
His crews have cleaned ditches and replaced some culverts with box bridges, Greer said.
“We’ve done a lot correcting the problems and even another inch or two of rain won’t hurt,” he said.
In Lonoke County, flooding closed East Shafer Road in Lonoke and Red Wine Road south of Carlisle.
By early Friday afternoon, Eddie Cook, director of operations in Cabot, was calling the hurricane a well-prepared for, non-event in his city.
Cook said the sandbags were filled, the generators were checked to make sure they were running well and street department workers were on standby with heavy equipment if it was needed. Some of those workers reported that they had barely slept Thursday night because they were listening to the wind, he said.
But there was no flooding and the wind only knocked down a couple of limbs that were quickly removed. One traffic light controller went out and had to be replaced but that incident doesn’t appear to have been caused by the weather, he said.
A couple of inches of rain were measured at the city sewer plant but instead of a flood, Cabot got a much-needed, slow rain.
“For a non-event, we were very well-prepared,” Cook said.
That was not the case in southern Lonoke County.
“We’ve sent sandbags to England,” said Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin.
“They had a lot more rain in the southern part of the county than in the north. I don’t know the total, but people were pouring six inches out of their rain gauges,” Erwin said.
In White County, Judge Michael Lincoln said his people were ready for a storm and pleased that they didn’t get one.
“We brought in sand and had extra dispatchers on alert.” Lincoln said. “Of course we had all the chainsaws sharpened in case they were needed. But they weren’t.”
As of Friday afternoon, there was one outage reported in White County and no outages reported in Pulaski County.
Tori Moss, communications coordinator for First Electric Cooperative, said the cooperative has a comprehensive emergency response that includes procedures for major outages.
“We want to make sure we can take care of our members first,” she said.
She said customers could help by reporting an outage. They need to call 1-888-827-3322.
Caller ID will match the phone number to the number listed on their account. That is how First Electric will know where the outage is, Moss said.
She said customers could see current outages at www.firstelectric.coop or receive updates from First Electric’s Facebook page.
Moss said the company has not sent any workers outside of the cooperative’s service area.
Kathy Spider of North Little Rock Electric said the business has an ongoing tree-trimming procedure. Fallen limbs and trees are the most common cause of outages during a storm, she explained.
Jill Ponder of the company’s Energy Conservation/Demand Side Management Department, said North Little Rock Electric had not been asked to send workers anywhere Hurricane Isaac made its debut.
She said the company is unique in that it has service crews on duty 24 hours a day.
Ponder said they have asked additional employees to be available during the severe weather.
“We’ll be able to respond. We just made sure the service crews and equipment are ready to go,” she said on Thursday.
Ponder said customers can follow the company on Facebook, Twitter and call 1-888-728-4004 to report an outage.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
SPORTS STORY >> Badgers, Panthers keep rivalry alive
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Many schools have seen their season-opening opponents change over the past two or three years, but Friday’s game between Beebe and host Greenbrier continues a Week 1 series that dates back 12 years in a rivalry that spans nearly four decades. The Badgers and Panthers now represent 5A programs, with Beebe in the 5A East Conference and Greenbrier in the 5A West, but there was a time when both were tiny 2A schools, and off-and-on league rivals.
There will be little reminiscing of the past when Beebe descends on Don Jones Stadium in an attempt to avenge last year’s 41-20 loss. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
“They looked pretty solid in their scrimmage,” Badgers coach John Shannon said. “The defense runs to the ball really well. Their quarterback looks like he wants to run more than he does throw the ball, so we have to be ready for both. With the Burcham kid, he never really was much of a runner, so now having to deal with a dual-threat quarterback makes it tougher on us.”
The Badgers had their shining moments and tough moments in last week’s scrimmage against Harding Academy.
The defense flew to the ball on some occasions and broke up several good pass attempts, only to allow Harding Aca-demy to throw right over the top of them a few plays later for big gains. The offense fumbled a few more times than Shannon wanted to see, but a week of practice to correct those issues should have the Badgers in game shape for Friday.
“It’s like I was saying that night that it was never as bad or never as good as what you think,” Shannon said. “The little things – things you would think we had worked out by now, but we were able to go back on Thursday and Friday and Saturday and work on it. We feel better about it.”
It takes about an hour to reach Greenbrier from Beebe, but with long-distance East conference road games at Blytheville and Forrest City on tap for the 2012 season, Shannon views it as an early opportunity to get his team acclimated to long bus rides on important game nights.
“Anytime you’re on the road, it’s tough,” Shannon said. “And I think the older I get, the more I hate having to get on that bus on Fridays. But you have to get on that bus, and you have to try and stay focused. That should help us later on when we go to Blytheville and Forrest City.
“Hopefully this will help us in teaching the kids how to stay focused.”
Beebe mixed it up at the quarterback spot during the scrimmage, trying as many as four different players. But when the season officially kicks off Friday, original projected starter, sophomore Aaron Nunez, will be the starting signal caller. Nunez has no varsity experience heading into Friday’s opener, but his quick feet and early signs of leadership abilities have Shannon confident in the youngster.
“He’s going to be our quarterback,” Shannon said. “We’ve made that decision, and we’re going to stick with that. We know there’s some unknown there with him being inexperienced, but we feel like there’s a lot more upside with him as far as being an athlete.”
The only question that remains – are the Badgers ready after a hot summer coming off a second-round playoff appearance last year?
“I think so,” Shannon said. “I think that was part of the problem the other night is that we were kind of in a lull; there wasn’t any fire in their bellies. But the way they came back to practice on Thursday, I think it was a wake-up call. I know they’re tired, and it’s been a long three weeks, but you have to fight through the adversity to get to the good stuff.”
Leader sportswriter
Many schools have seen their season-opening opponents change over the past two or three years, but Friday’s game between Beebe and host Greenbrier continues a Week 1 series that dates back 12 years in a rivalry that spans nearly four decades. The Badgers and Panthers now represent 5A programs, with Beebe in the 5A East Conference and Greenbrier in the 5A West, but there was a time when both were tiny 2A schools, and off-and-on league rivals.
There will be little reminiscing of the past when Beebe descends on Don Jones Stadium in an attempt to avenge last year’s 41-20 loss. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
“They looked pretty solid in their scrimmage,” Badgers coach John Shannon said. “The defense runs to the ball really well. Their quarterback looks like he wants to run more than he does throw the ball, so we have to be ready for both. With the Burcham kid, he never really was much of a runner, so now having to deal with a dual-threat quarterback makes it tougher on us.”
The Badgers had their shining moments and tough moments in last week’s scrimmage against Harding Academy.
The defense flew to the ball on some occasions and broke up several good pass attempts, only to allow Harding Aca-demy to throw right over the top of them a few plays later for big gains. The offense fumbled a few more times than Shannon wanted to see, but a week of practice to correct those issues should have the Badgers in game shape for Friday.
“It’s like I was saying that night that it was never as bad or never as good as what you think,” Shannon said. “The little things – things you would think we had worked out by now, but we were able to go back on Thursday and Friday and Saturday and work on it. We feel better about it.”
It takes about an hour to reach Greenbrier from Beebe, but with long-distance East conference road games at Blytheville and Forrest City on tap for the 2012 season, Shannon views it as an early opportunity to get his team acclimated to long bus rides on important game nights.
“Anytime you’re on the road, it’s tough,” Shannon said. “And I think the older I get, the more I hate having to get on that bus on Fridays. But you have to get on that bus, and you have to try and stay focused. That should help us later on when we go to Blytheville and Forrest City.
“Hopefully this will help us in teaching the kids how to stay focused.”
Beebe mixed it up at the quarterback spot during the scrimmage, trying as many as four different players. But when the season officially kicks off Friday, original projected starter, sophomore Aaron Nunez, will be the starting signal caller. Nunez has no varsity experience heading into Friday’s opener, but his quick feet and early signs of leadership abilities have Shannon confident in the youngster.
“He’s going to be our quarterback,” Shannon said. “We’ve made that decision, and we’re going to stick with that. We know there’s some unknown there with him being inexperienced, but we feel like there’s a lot more upside with him as far as being an athlete.”
The only question that remains – are the Badgers ready after a hot summer coming off a second-round playoff appearance last year?
“I think so,” Shannon said. “I think that was part of the problem the other night is that we were kind of in a lull; there wasn’t any fire in their bellies. But the way they came back to practice on Thursday, I think it was a wake-up call. I know they’re tired, and it’s been a long three weeks, but you have to fight through the adversity to get to the good stuff.”
SPORTS STORY >> Jackrabbits happy to be playing Star City at home
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
For the first time in three years, the season-opening game between Lonoke and Star City will not be included as a Hooten’s Classic game, it will be one of many Friday-night games across the state of Arkansas when the Jackrabbits and Bulldogs square off at James B. Abraham Stadium at 7 p.m.
The UAPB Campus in Pine Bluff has been the site of the two previous meetings, with Lonoke winning the 2010 game thanks to a late-game breakaway touchdown run by a then-unknown sophomore named Eric Williams. Star City won a more defensive outing last year 21-7 on its way to a 7-4 final season record.
Jackrabbits coach Doug Bost is happy to have the season opener in their back yard this season, giving fans a better opportunity to come out and show support rather than having to travel over an hour in the middle of the week.
“Especially when you can get one at home,” Bost said. “We always looked at the Hooten’s games as road games, and you never get any money off the gate, so it’s definitely better to be at home.”
The Jackrabbits are coming off a successful scrimmage against Maumelle, in which the defense stuffed the Hornets for 12 tackles for losses, and recorded six sacks. Maumelle was able to break a couple of long runs due to missed defensive assignments for Lonoke.
“We did good things offensively,” Bost said. “Our pass game went well for the first time out, and that was a good thing to see. The first team had no turnovers and that was good, but we had a few too many penalties – holding penalties we shouldn’t have had.
“It’s been a full year, and the kids were ready to hit on something other than each other, and they came out fired up. We treated it like a real game.”
Bost was impressed with the efforts at the line by right offensive tackle Austyn Soderling, who spent the entire spring and summer recovering from a back injury. Soderling received doctor’s clearance a week before the start of fall camp, but Bost said the senior has made up for lost time in a big hurry.
“He had the best job on the offensive line,” Bost said of Soderling during the scrimmage. “We’re real proud of him.”
Defensively, Bost said senior Dra Offord was impressive from his linebacker position, and was in on most of the stops in some way.
It has been implied most of the spring and summer that junior Grant Dewey would assume the leading role when it came to starting quarterback, but an equally impressive spring for another junior, Nick Watson, made the decision tougher for Bost. Bost would not name a definite starter until recently, when he confirmed it will in fact be Dewey.
“He’s shown us he can get the job done,” Bost said. “When we worked out our new pass concepts back in February, he took the play book and he learned it. He knows his pass concepts, his reads, and he has good control.”
The focus this week will be getting ready for a Star City team which depending on talent cycles can be a pass-oriented spread team or a wing-type running team.
“We watched them Tues-day, and they want to run the ball,” Bost said. “Their quarterback’s going to run the option, and he’s going to send a guy in motion to come around and he can pitch to. Defense, they’re going to play corners and lock down – they’re real similar to us defensively running that 4-2-5.”
Leader sportswriter
For the first time in three years, the season-opening game between Lonoke and Star City will not be included as a Hooten’s Classic game, it will be one of many Friday-night games across the state of Arkansas when the Jackrabbits and Bulldogs square off at James B. Abraham Stadium at 7 p.m.
The UAPB Campus in Pine Bluff has been the site of the two previous meetings, with Lonoke winning the 2010 game thanks to a late-game breakaway touchdown run by a then-unknown sophomore named Eric Williams. Star City won a more defensive outing last year 21-7 on its way to a 7-4 final season record.
Jackrabbits coach Doug Bost is happy to have the season opener in their back yard this season, giving fans a better opportunity to come out and show support rather than having to travel over an hour in the middle of the week.
“Especially when you can get one at home,” Bost said. “We always looked at the Hooten’s games as road games, and you never get any money off the gate, so it’s definitely better to be at home.”
The Jackrabbits are coming off a successful scrimmage against Maumelle, in which the defense stuffed the Hornets for 12 tackles for losses, and recorded six sacks. Maumelle was able to break a couple of long runs due to missed defensive assignments for Lonoke.
“We did good things offensively,” Bost said. “Our pass game went well for the first time out, and that was a good thing to see. The first team had no turnovers and that was good, but we had a few too many penalties – holding penalties we shouldn’t have had.
“It’s been a full year, and the kids were ready to hit on something other than each other, and they came out fired up. We treated it like a real game.”
Bost was impressed with the efforts at the line by right offensive tackle Austyn Soderling, who spent the entire spring and summer recovering from a back injury. Soderling received doctor’s clearance a week before the start of fall camp, but Bost said the senior has made up for lost time in a big hurry.
“He had the best job on the offensive line,” Bost said of Soderling during the scrimmage. “We’re real proud of him.”
Defensively, Bost said senior Dra Offord was impressive from his linebacker position, and was in on most of the stops in some way.
It has been implied most of the spring and summer that junior Grant Dewey would assume the leading role when it came to starting quarterback, but an equally impressive spring for another junior, Nick Watson, made the decision tougher for Bost. Bost would not name a definite starter until recently, when he confirmed it will in fact be Dewey.
“He’s shown us he can get the job done,” Bost said. “When we worked out our new pass concepts back in February, he took the play book and he learned it. He knows his pass concepts, his reads, and he has good control.”
The focus this week will be getting ready for a Star City team which depending on talent cycles can be a pass-oriented spread team or a wing-type running team.
“We watched them Tues-day, and they want to run the ball,” Bost said. “Their quarterback’s going to run the option, and he’s going to send a guy in motion to come around and he can pitch to. Defense, they’re going to play corners and lock down – they’re real similar to us defensively running that 4-2-5.”
SPORTS STORY >> Jessica Jackson commits to Hogs
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Hog calls went up at the Jacksonville High School gym Monday morning because highly sought-after Lady Red Devil hoops star Jessica Jackson held a press conference to announce her intention to play college ball at the University of Arkansas.
Jackson, who is 6-foot-3, is rated a Top 20 prospect by several scouting services and has been offered scholarships by all the national powerhouses in women’s NCAA basketball.
Arkansas is a program on the rise. Head coach Tom Collen took over a program that had sunk to the SEC cellar. Last year the Lady Razorbacks went 24-9 overall and 10-6 in the SEC, their first winning SEC season in nearly a decade.
All that, plus a love of the Razorbacks since childhood, led Jackson to her decision.
“I love Arkansas,” Jackson said. “It’s my home state. I always wanted to go there. As I got older and was good at basketball, they were really the first team on me and they stayed with me through the whole thing.”
While scholarship offers poured in from all over the country, Jackson always felt a lean towards matriculating to Fayetteville. But she kept a close eye on two other schools, Texas and Texas A&M.
“Arkansas, Texas and Texas A&M were my top three schools,” Jackson said. “Texas A&M was the first school to actually offer me a scholarship so I kept them in mind because of that.”
Jackson also admits to wavering slightly on her long-held, though unspoken, commitment to Arkansas when the Lady Aggies won the national championship two years ago.
“Maybe just a little bit,” Jackson said. “Not very much. A national championship is a big thing, but I still knew I loved Arkansas.”
Jackson has not taken official visits to any out-of-state schools.
Jackson didn’t know what to expect from the press conference organized by her father Jeff Jackson. A bit shy during the proceedings, Jackson enjoyed the moment.
“It was overwhelming,” Jackson said. “To have my friends there, my grandmomma, my auntie and my daddy, my coaches. It was really special.”
Monday’s announcement was a verbal commitment only. She’s not bound by her commitment until she signs a letter of intent on national signing day in November, but she’s solid in her commitment.
“I just knew all along so why wait,” Jackson said.
Leader sports editor
Hog calls went up at the Jacksonville High School gym Monday morning because highly sought-after Lady Red Devil hoops star Jessica Jackson held a press conference to announce her intention to play college ball at the University of Arkansas.
Jackson, who is 6-foot-3, is rated a Top 20 prospect by several scouting services and has been offered scholarships by all the national powerhouses in women’s NCAA basketball.
Arkansas is a program on the rise. Head coach Tom Collen took over a program that had sunk to the SEC cellar. Last year the Lady Razorbacks went 24-9 overall and 10-6 in the SEC, their first winning SEC season in nearly a decade.
All that, plus a love of the Razorbacks since childhood, led Jackson to her decision.
“I love Arkansas,” Jackson said. “It’s my home state. I always wanted to go there. As I got older and was good at basketball, they were really the first team on me and they stayed with me through the whole thing.”
While scholarship offers poured in from all over the country, Jackson always felt a lean towards matriculating to Fayetteville. But she kept a close eye on two other schools, Texas and Texas A&M.
“Arkansas, Texas and Texas A&M were my top three schools,” Jackson said. “Texas A&M was the first school to actually offer me a scholarship so I kept them in mind because of that.”
Jackson also admits to wavering slightly on her long-held, though unspoken, commitment to Arkansas when the Lady Aggies won the national championship two years ago.
“Maybe just a little bit,” Jackson said. “Not very much. A national championship is a big thing, but I still knew I loved Arkansas.”
Jackson has not taken official visits to any out-of-state schools.
Jackson didn’t know what to expect from the press conference organized by her father Jeff Jackson. A bit shy during the proceedings, Jackson enjoyed the moment.
“It was overwhelming,” Jackson said. “To have my friends there, my grandmomma, my auntie and my daddy, my coaches. It was really special.”
Monday’s announcement was a verbal commitment only. She’s not bound by her commitment until she signs a letter of intent on national signing day in November, but she’s solid in her commitment.
“I just knew all along so why wait,” Jackson said.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot pulls away from Devils
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
A tough battle for a half turned one side in the third quarter as the Cabot Panthers scored 21 points in the third to beat Jacksonville 28-0 Tuesday at War Memorial Stadium.
The Panthers led 7-0 at halftime and were stopped without a first down on the opening possession of the third quarter, but that’s when the big break came.
Jacksonville’s do-it-all man Aaron Smith fumbled the punt and Cabot’s Blake Gibson covered it at the Jacksonville 24-yard line.
The Panthers rode the momentum. Fullback Zach Launius picked up 18 yards on first down to set up first and goal at the 6-yard line. Two plays later, Launius scored from 2 yards out. Jesus Marquez added the extra point for a 14-0 Cabot lead with 7:38 left in the third quarter.
“That swung the game,” an emotional Jacksonville coach Rick Russell said afterwards. “We made too many little mistakes that cost us early, then we had the big one there with the fumbled punt. Too many procedure penalties – we have to clean that up. We can be a great football team. We just have to believe we can be, especially on offense.”
Jacksonville picked up 20 yards on a reception by sophomore Lamont Gause to start its next drive, but things stalled from there. The Red Devils were called for illegal procedure on third down and four yards to go, then threw incomplete and were forced to punt.
Cabot’s Chris Henry returned the kick all the way to the Jacksonville 26-yard line with another five tacked on for a facemask penalty. It took the Panthers five plays to go 21 yards with Launius scoring again, this time from 5 yards out with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
Jacksonville’s senior speedster Kevin Richardson returned the kickoff 49 yards, but was injured at the end of the play and did not return. Smith, who played quarterback, safety and punt and kick returner, was also injured early in the third and did not finish the game.
Jacksonville lost 14 yards on the next drive. The Devils went for it on fourth and 24 from their own 40, but were called for two penalties on the play, including a personal foul. It all left Cabot with another short field, this time needing just 14 yards for another touchdown.
The Panthers got it in five plays with Kyle Edgar diving in from 1 yard out with 1:12 left in the third quarter.
“I thought we started out kind of out of sync on offense and just couldn’t get anything going,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “Our defense played well the whole game and that’ll win you ball games. If they can’t score it’s going to be hard for them to beat you.”
The running game wasn’t working early, so Cabot resorted to the pass. The result was a 25-yard touchdown play from quarterback Kason Kimbrell to tight end Brandon Boatright and a 7-0 Cabot lead with 7:33 left in the first half.
Cabot found the smaller Jacksonville defense a difficult foe in the early going. After having their way with Lake Hamilton’s defense in a preseason scrimmage, the Red Devils were in a stingy mood, stopping Cabot on their first three drives before giving up a nine-play, 73-yard drive capped by Boatright’s touchdown catch on third and 9.
Cabot’s defense was solid too. Jacksonville managed a few good plays, but had trouble putting things together with Cabot defenders frequently finding their way into the Red Devils’ backfield.
Jacksonville had its best drive after Cabot’s score, driving into Cabot territory before Gause fumbled at the Panther 37, where Cabot’s Rob Rankin recovered it with 5:22 left in the half.
Cabot was on its way to a two-touchdown lead as time expired in the half, but Jacksonville came up with a big goal-line stand. The Panthers moved it to Jacksonville 9-yard line on a 13-yard quarterback keeper by Kimbrell on third and 5. Two more plays gained just three yards and Cabot hurt itself with an illegal procedure penalty on third down. Max Carroll gained 7 yards on third and goal from the 11-yard line, setting up fourth and goal from the 4-yard line. Cabot called its last timeout with nine seconds left in the half to set up the final play.
It was a reverse handoff to tight end Keith Pledger, who had an almost-clear path to the goal line, save for Jacksonville’s Damitrious Ervin. The two met at the 1-yard line with Ervin hitting Pledger at the knees. Pledger flipped into the end zone, but the ball touched the ground before crossing the plane, giving the Red Devils possession with two seconds left in the half and keeping the margin at seven points.
Cabot finished with 278 yards of offense while Jacksonville totaled just 145. Launius led the Panthers with 81 yards rushing on 12 carries, including two touchdowns.
The Panthers will host Little Rock Catholic on Friday, Sept. 7 at Panther Stadium. Jacksonville will travel to Benton on the same date for its second game.
Leader sports editor
A tough battle for a half turned one side in the third quarter as the Cabot Panthers scored 21 points in the third to beat Jacksonville 28-0 Tuesday at War Memorial Stadium.
The Panthers led 7-0 at halftime and were stopped without a first down on the opening possession of the third quarter, but that’s when the big break came.
Jacksonville’s do-it-all man Aaron Smith fumbled the punt and Cabot’s Blake Gibson covered it at the Jacksonville 24-yard line.
The Panthers rode the momentum. Fullback Zach Launius picked up 18 yards on first down to set up first and goal at the 6-yard line. Two plays later, Launius scored from 2 yards out. Jesus Marquez added the extra point for a 14-0 Cabot lead with 7:38 left in the third quarter.
“That swung the game,” an emotional Jacksonville coach Rick Russell said afterwards. “We made too many little mistakes that cost us early, then we had the big one there with the fumbled punt. Too many procedure penalties – we have to clean that up. We can be a great football team. We just have to believe we can be, especially on offense.”
Jacksonville picked up 20 yards on a reception by sophomore Lamont Gause to start its next drive, but things stalled from there. The Red Devils were called for illegal procedure on third down and four yards to go, then threw incomplete and were forced to punt.
Cabot’s Chris Henry returned the kick all the way to the Jacksonville 26-yard line with another five tacked on for a facemask penalty. It took the Panthers five plays to go 21 yards with Launius scoring again, this time from 5 yards out with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
Jacksonville’s senior speedster Kevin Richardson returned the kickoff 49 yards, but was injured at the end of the play and did not return. Smith, who played quarterback, safety and punt and kick returner, was also injured early in the third and did not finish the game.
Jacksonville lost 14 yards on the next drive. The Devils went for it on fourth and 24 from their own 40, but were called for two penalties on the play, including a personal foul. It all left Cabot with another short field, this time needing just 14 yards for another touchdown.
The Panthers got it in five plays with Kyle Edgar diving in from 1 yard out with 1:12 left in the third quarter.
“I thought we started out kind of out of sync on offense and just couldn’t get anything going,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “Our defense played well the whole game and that’ll win you ball games. If they can’t score it’s going to be hard for them to beat you.”
The running game wasn’t working early, so Cabot resorted to the pass. The result was a 25-yard touchdown play from quarterback Kason Kimbrell to tight end Brandon Boatright and a 7-0 Cabot lead with 7:33 left in the first half.
Cabot found the smaller Jacksonville defense a difficult foe in the early going. After having their way with Lake Hamilton’s defense in a preseason scrimmage, the Red Devils were in a stingy mood, stopping Cabot on their first three drives before giving up a nine-play, 73-yard drive capped by Boatright’s touchdown catch on third and 9.
Cabot’s defense was solid too. Jacksonville managed a few good plays, but had trouble putting things together with Cabot defenders frequently finding their way into the Red Devils’ backfield.
Jacksonville had its best drive after Cabot’s score, driving into Cabot territory before Gause fumbled at the Panther 37, where Cabot’s Rob Rankin recovered it with 5:22 left in the half.
Cabot was on its way to a two-touchdown lead as time expired in the half, but Jacksonville came up with a big goal-line stand. The Panthers moved it to Jacksonville 9-yard line on a 13-yard quarterback keeper by Kimbrell on third and 5. Two more plays gained just three yards and Cabot hurt itself with an illegal procedure penalty on third down. Max Carroll gained 7 yards on third and goal from the 11-yard line, setting up fourth and goal from the 4-yard line. Cabot called its last timeout with nine seconds left in the half to set up the final play.
It was a reverse handoff to tight end Keith Pledger, who had an almost-clear path to the goal line, save for Jacksonville’s Damitrious Ervin. The two met at the 1-yard line with Ervin hitting Pledger at the knees. Pledger flipped into the end zone, but the ball touched the ground before crossing the plane, giving the Red Devils possession with two seconds left in the half and keeping the margin at seven points.
Cabot finished with 278 yards of offense while Jacksonville totaled just 145. Launius led the Panthers with 81 yards rushing on 12 carries, including two touchdowns.
The Panthers will host Little Rock Catholic on Friday, Sept. 7 at Panther Stadium. Jacksonville will travel to Benton on the same date for its second game.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
EDITORIAL >> Taxpayers get a break
The Pulaski County Equalization Board is a little-known outfit in downtown Little Rock where struggling property owners can appeal their ever-rising assessment and hope to catch a break. All they have to do is convince a usually sympathetic board to lower their taxes, and chances are good taxpayers will be glad they made the effort.
While the county assessors have a special incentive to raise taxes not just for local schools and services but to make sure their staff is well-paid, the equalization board consists mostly of volunteer professionals who don’t mind giving hard-pressed taxpayers a break.
We appreciate the fairness of two longtime Jacksonville board members, Bud Perry and Jim Peacock, who have listened to our special pleadings with sympathy and respect. There’s never a condescending tone when you go before the board, unlike at the assessor’s office downtown, where the reception can be intimidating.
But you have to find the equalization board first. Its existence was not well-publicized until reports in the media talked of sticker shock after taxpayers received their bills indicating their real estate had increased in value. That was news to a lot of people since many of them can’t sell their property for what they paid for it.
Real estate values in Pulaski County supposedly increased from $26.8 billion in 2009 to $29.8 billion early this year, or about 11 percent. That’s hard to believe in this economy, but the assessor is seldom wrong, except when he is.
That’s where the Pulaski County Equalization Board comes in. We know people who have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years thanks to fair and balanced treatment you will likely receive if you take the time to make the trip to Little Rock.
Sure, traffic is awful and parking isn’t easy. The office is in a dark, hard-to-find place, but once you get there, you’re bound to receive a sympathetic hearing. Even if it takes a couple of hours of travel and waiting to go before the board, saving several thousand dollars in these hard times can make the difference between staying solvent or going under water.
Thanks to the Pulaski County Equalization Board, ordinary people get a little relief from having to keep government afloat with an ever-increasing share of their tax dollars. Who said never give a sucker an even break? Lucky for us, the equalization board doesn’t believe it.
While the county assessors have a special incentive to raise taxes not just for local schools and services but to make sure their staff is well-paid, the equalization board consists mostly of volunteer professionals who don’t mind giving hard-pressed taxpayers a break.
We appreciate the fairness of two longtime Jacksonville board members, Bud Perry and Jim Peacock, who have listened to our special pleadings with sympathy and respect. There’s never a condescending tone when you go before the board, unlike at the assessor’s office downtown, where the reception can be intimidating.
But you have to find the equalization board first. Its existence was not well-publicized until reports in the media talked of sticker shock after taxpayers received their bills indicating their real estate had increased in value. That was news to a lot of people since many of them can’t sell their property for what they paid for it.
Real estate values in Pulaski County supposedly increased from $26.8 billion in 2009 to $29.8 billion early this year, or about 11 percent. That’s hard to believe in this economy, but the assessor is seldom wrong, except when he is.
That’s where the Pulaski County Equalization Board comes in. We know people who have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years thanks to fair and balanced treatment you will likely receive if you take the time to make the trip to Little Rock.
Sure, traffic is awful and parking isn’t easy. The office is in a dark, hard-to-find place, but once you get there, you’re bound to receive a sympathetic hearing. Even if it takes a couple of hours of travel and waiting to go before the board, saving several thousand dollars in these hard times can make the difference between staying solvent or going under water.
Thanks to the Pulaski County Equalization Board, ordinary people get a little relief from having to keep government afloat with an ever-increasing share of their tax dollars. Who said never give a sucker an even break? Lucky for us, the equalization board doesn’t believe it.
TOP STORY >> Silver Haired Legislators serve in the state Capitol
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Seniors from all over the state converged on the Capitol last week for the biennial Silver Haired Legislature, a forum for seniors representing the state’s eight Area Agencies on Aging.
Elected delegates from each county and their alternates prepared mock legislation which they debated in committee sessions.
Issues the seniors tackled in committee meetings included legal, revenue and tax; aging services, long-term care and senior centers.
Long Term Care Committee chair Billie Dougherty, 83, of Ward said it was her sixth time to participate in the Silver Haired Legislature.
She said her committee proposed bills to supplement federal funding for the ombudsman program which, by the 1965 federal Older Americans Act, provides advocates for residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
Dougherty’s committee also seeks to balance the Medicaid long-term care system by increasing home and community based supports and services.
Another of the committee’s bills would reduce Medicaid expenditures by providing care transition and medication management services to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations.
The committee would seek $2.5 million from the state to stabilize Meals on Wheels.
“I know now how to write the bills. Our (committee) was quiet,” Dougherty said. She said earlier that previous sessions have developed bills which were eventually taken into consideration by legislators. Dougherty’s committee co-chair was Harriet Raney of Region II, the White River Agency on Aging which includes White County. Jack Harris was the representative from White County. Shelly Moran of Cabot was also a Lonoke County delegate.
CareLink President Elaine Eubank of North Little Rock said, “I thought the bills that came through the committee were thorough.” CareLink, Region V, includes Lonoke, Pulaski, Faulkner and Prairie counties in its six county area.
The session examined is-sues important to seniors, including revenues and taxation, aging services, long-term care and senior centers. This year’s session dealt with some critical problems older persons are facing now and will face in the future.
“Most seniors are worried about changes coming for Medicare and Medicaid,” Dougherty said.
Others have voiced concern over nutrition programs at their local senior centers. The centers are facing cuts at a time when hunger among seniors is reported to be on the rise. The committee dealing with problems facing the state’s senior and wellness centers asked for additional funding for the centers including $5 million annually for operations, congregate meals, home-delivered meals and transportation.
Leader staff writer
Seniors from all over the state converged on the Capitol last week for the biennial Silver Haired Legislature, a forum for seniors representing the state’s eight Area Agencies on Aging.
Elected delegates from each county and their alternates prepared mock legislation which they debated in committee sessions.
Issues the seniors tackled in committee meetings included legal, revenue and tax; aging services, long-term care and senior centers.
Long Term Care Committee chair Billie Dougherty, 83, of Ward said it was her sixth time to participate in the Silver Haired Legislature.
She said her committee proposed bills to supplement federal funding for the ombudsman program which, by the 1965 federal Older Americans Act, provides advocates for residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
Dougherty’s committee also seeks to balance the Medicaid long-term care system by increasing home and community based supports and services.
Another of the committee’s bills would reduce Medicaid expenditures by providing care transition and medication management services to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations.
The committee would seek $2.5 million from the state to stabilize Meals on Wheels.
“I know now how to write the bills. Our (committee) was quiet,” Dougherty said. She said earlier that previous sessions have developed bills which were eventually taken into consideration by legislators. Dougherty’s committee co-chair was Harriet Raney of Region II, the White River Agency on Aging which includes White County. Jack Harris was the representative from White County. Shelly Moran of Cabot was also a Lonoke County delegate.
CareLink President Elaine Eubank of North Little Rock said, “I thought the bills that came through the committee were thorough.” CareLink, Region V, includes Lonoke, Pulaski, Faulkner and Prairie counties in its six county area.
The session examined is-sues important to seniors, including revenues and taxation, aging services, long-term care and senior centers. This year’s session dealt with some critical problems older persons are facing now and will face in the future.
“Most seniors are worried about changes coming for Medicare and Medicaid,” Dougherty said.
Others have voiced concern over nutrition programs at their local senior centers. The centers are facing cuts at a time when hunger among seniors is reported to be on the rise. The committee dealing with problems facing the state’s senior and wellness centers asked for additional funding for the centers including $5 million annually for operations, congregate meals, home-delivered meals and transportation.
TOP STORY >> New director of State Police is from Austin
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
An Austin man who has been with the Arkansas State Police for 27 years will become the agency director Friday.
Maj. Stan Witt, 55, replaces Col. J.R. Howard who came out of retirement in April 2011 to become the director.
“Stan Witt has a wealth of law-enforcement experience and will approach the role of director with the same even-handed manner that has earned him respect and admiration,” Gov. Mike Beebe said Monday when he announced Howard’s replacement. “His 27 years with the Arkansas State Police have made him an expert in policies, practices and procedures: knowledge that will serve him well as the leader of this great agency.”
Beebe called Witt “a trooper’s trooper. He’s worked in nearly every facet of the agency during his 27 years, and has shown his skills as an administrator time and again.”
Witt could not be reached for comment about his new position. Bill Sadler, agency spokesman, said Witt would be in the field for the rest of the week meeting with division heads, but that he was agreeable to interviews next week.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Austin Police Chief John Staley said of Witt’s appointment to the top police position in the state.
Staley said Witt was “a great guy” who helped his department last year when several cars were broken into. Catching the thieves was easier because of help from the state police, he said.
Witt has been in administration for five years, most recently as the Administrative Services Division commander. For the first seven years he worked in highway patrol and then he worked in criminal investigation for 15 years.
Witt began his law enforcement career in 1975 with the Walnut Ridge Police Department. He was 18 years old. For the next 10 years, he worked in various departments in northeast Arkansas including serving for a short time as the sheriff of Lawrence County.
Beebe called Howard his friend and he didn’t want him to resign. But he said he understands Howard’s desire “to go home to Searcy and spend more time with his family.”
Beebe is also from Searcy. “I’m joining him in a little more than two years,” said Beebe, who will be term-limited out of office.
Leader staff writer
An Austin man who has been with the Arkansas State Police for 27 years will become the agency director Friday.
Maj. Stan Witt, 55, replaces Col. J.R. Howard who came out of retirement in April 2011 to become the director.
“Stan Witt has a wealth of law-enforcement experience and will approach the role of director with the same even-handed manner that has earned him respect and admiration,” Gov. Mike Beebe said Monday when he announced Howard’s replacement. “His 27 years with the Arkansas State Police have made him an expert in policies, practices and procedures: knowledge that will serve him well as the leader of this great agency.”
Beebe called Witt “a trooper’s trooper. He’s worked in nearly every facet of the agency during his 27 years, and has shown his skills as an administrator time and again.”
Witt could not be reached for comment about his new position. Bill Sadler, agency spokesman, said Witt would be in the field for the rest of the week meeting with division heads, but that he was agreeable to interviews next week.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Austin Police Chief John Staley said of Witt’s appointment to the top police position in the state.
Staley said Witt was “a great guy” who helped his department last year when several cars were broken into. Catching the thieves was easier because of help from the state police, he said.
Witt has been in administration for five years, most recently as the Administrative Services Division commander. For the first seven years he worked in highway patrol and then he worked in criminal investigation for 15 years.
Witt began his law enforcement career in 1975 with the Walnut Ridge Police Department. He was 18 years old. For the next 10 years, he worked in various departments in northeast Arkansas including serving for a short time as the sheriff of Lawrence County.
Beebe called Howard his friend and he didn’t want him to resign. But he said he understands Howard’s desire “to go home to Searcy and spend more time with his family.”
Beebe is also from Searcy. “I’m joining him in a little more than two years,” said Beebe, who will be term-limited out of office.
TOP STORY >> Units find shelter as hurricane moves in
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
Forty-one Hurricane Isaac-evacuated transport planes from Florida and Mississippi had joined Little Rock Air Force Base’s C-130s on the flight line for safety by Monday afternoon,
It has been standard operating procedure for the Air Force to move planes and personnel to LRAFB and elsewhere from bases that could be impacted by hurricanes or tropical storms until the danger to the aircraft, crews and maintainers had passed.
This hurricane evacuation includes CV-22 Ospreys of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field at Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and six C-130s from Hulbert and from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., according to Col. Trae Watkins of the 19th Airlift Wing Mission Support Command.
The evacuation also includes a small number of PC12, which are small personnel carriers, he said.
Some of the personnel who flew planes here had returned to Keesler in case more aircraft are needed to be moved to LRAFB.
As for the personnel, “We filled up all of our buildings, then pushed the rest downtown,” Watkins buildings, then pushed the rest downtown,” Watkins said. “They will return shortly after the weather passes.”
As of Friday afternoon, about 400 “hurrevaced” personnel where staying either on base or at local hotels.
Similar evacuations of aircraft and airmen to Little Rock occurred most recently in August 2011 to escape Hurricane Irene.
According to Keesler’s web- site, “The last major storm in the region, Hurricane Katrina, caused massive damage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, leaving 236 people dead, 67 missing, causing an estimated $125 billion in damages. Keesler Air Force Base suffered nearly $1 billion in damages alone.”
Hurlburt Field officials decided Saturday to fly most of their planes to LRAFB for safekeeping. Evacuation flights started early Sunday morning and were expected to continue into Monday, officials said.
The remnants of Hurricane Isaac will hit Arkansas’ southern border about 1 p.m. Thursday and completely cover the state by noon Friday. Weather forecasters are expecting central Arkansas to get hit with three to six inches of rain between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, but high temperatures will remain around 90 degrees all three days.
Winds will blow through the area at 20 to 30 mph.
Leader senior staff writer
Forty-one Hurricane Isaac-evacuated transport planes from Florida and Mississippi had joined Little Rock Air Force Base’s C-130s on the flight line for safety by Monday afternoon,
It has been standard operating procedure for the Air Force to move planes and personnel to LRAFB and elsewhere from bases that could be impacted by hurricanes or tropical storms until the danger to the aircraft, crews and maintainers had passed.
This hurricane evacuation includes CV-22 Ospreys of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field at Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and six C-130s from Hulbert and from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., according to Col. Trae Watkins of the 19th Airlift Wing Mission Support Command.
The evacuation also includes a small number of PC12, which are small personnel carriers, he said.
Some of the personnel who flew planes here had returned to Keesler in case more aircraft are needed to be moved to LRAFB.
As for the personnel, “We filled up all of our buildings, then pushed the rest downtown,” Watkins buildings, then pushed the rest downtown,” Watkins said. “They will return shortly after the weather passes.”
As of Friday afternoon, about 400 “hurrevaced” personnel where staying either on base or at local hotels.
Similar evacuations of aircraft and airmen to Little Rock occurred most recently in August 2011 to escape Hurricane Irene.
According to Keesler’s web- site, “The last major storm in the region, Hurricane Katrina, caused massive damage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, leaving 236 people dead, 67 missing, causing an estimated $125 billion in damages. Keesler Air Force Base suffered nearly $1 billion in damages alone.”
Hurlburt Field officials decided Saturday to fly most of their planes to LRAFB for safekeeping. Evacuation flights started early Sunday morning and were expected to continue into Monday, officials said.
The remnants of Hurricane Isaac will hit Arkansas’ southern border about 1 p.m. Thursday and completely cover the state by noon Friday. Weather forecasters are expecting central Arkansas to get hit with three to six inches of rain between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, but high temperatures will remain around 90 degrees all three days.
Winds will blow through the area at 20 to 30 mph.
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