By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
The North Pulaski Baptist Association and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention are teaming up for a day of community service from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Jacksonville, Sherwood, north Pulaski County, North Little Rock and Maumelle.
Associational missionary Dennis Wilkins with the North Pulaski Baptist Association said more than 2,000 volunteers from 50 churches in the North Pulaski Baptist Association and churches from all over the state will meet at 8 a.m. at the North Little Rock High School football stadium and then spread out to dozens of locations in the area.
Volunteers can sign up at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at North Little Rock High School. Groups will leave at 8 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. with a celebration service.
“The North Pulaski Baptist Association has a community service day in the spring and fall. The State Association has one a year in a different area of the state,” Wilkins said.
“As Christians, we are called to reach out to people in need. The day of service is a lesson to all of us that we can do it individually. But on this scale, we can see how it all works. People are coming from various parts of life – professionals, blue-collar and students – working on a common goal. It is a demonstration of unity, to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the community,” Wilkins said.
The associations will feed on-duty police, fire and paramedics. They will have senior adult ministries. They will be doing yard work and home repairs for north Pulaski County residents.
Block parties with free lunch and games will be held in Jacksonville at Bayou Meto Baptist Church, 26200 Hwy. 107; Stonewall Park, Lakeside Estates, 2613 E. Coffelt Road; Christ Centered Fellowship, 111 N. Oak St. and Runyan First Baptist Church, 10611 Jacksonville Cato Road.
In Sherwood at the vacant lot on 119 Country Club Road; Oakbrooke Elementary School, 2200 Thornhill Drive; Connection Church, 14322 Hwy. 107; Kohl’s parking lot, 7600 Warden Road; Indianhead Lake Baptist Church, 8601 Indianhead Drive and Iglesia Bautista Betel, 2300 E. Lee St.
Free medical and dental services held in Jacksonville at Bayou Meto Baptist Church, 26200 Hwy. 107; Options Pregnancy Center, 1409 Madden Road and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, 1017 Ray Road. In Sherwood at Iglesia Bautista Betel, 2300 E. Lee St.
Free food distribution in Jacksonville at Christ Centered Fellowship, 111 N. Oak St. and Runyan First Baptist Church, 10611 Jacksonville Cato Road. In Sherwood at Kohl’s parking lot, 7600 Warden Road.
Free laundromat service at the Super Suds locations, 1000 Stone St. in Jacksonville and 3301 E. Kiehl Ave. in Sherwood.
Free children’s activities in Jacksonville at Options Preg-nancy Center, 1409 Madden Road, Maddox Road Baptist Church, 702 E. Maddox Road. In north Pulaski County at Zion Hill Baptist Church, 11923 Zion Hill Road. In Sherwood at Park Crest Apartments, 100 Manson Road.
Free children’s fishing derbies at Lake Cherrywood in Sherwood and North Pulaski Community Park, 5705 W. Republican Road.
Free car washes at in Jacksonville at Bethel Baptist Church, 112 N. Jeff Davis Ave. In Sherwood at Friendship Baptist Church, 10150 Brockington Road and at Auto Spa, 8521 Hwy. 107; Splash Car Wash, 14323 Hwy. 107 and Suds Carwash, 25401 Hwy. 107.
Tuesday, October 03, 2017
TOP STORY >> Lemons, Byrd to face off again in Primary
By JONATHAN FELDMAN
Leader editor
State Rep. Tim Lemons (R-Cabot) will have a familiar opponent in his bid for a third term next year.
Darlene Byrd will challenge him again in House Dist. 43 in the Republican primary set for May 2018.
It will be a rematch of their 2014 faceoff in the Republican primary for the seat, when Lemons was first elected. Lemons won by 653 votes. He ran unopposed in 2016.
Byrd, a nurse practitioner, is chairwoman of the Lonoke County 911 Call Center Advisory Committee, which is working to modernize the county’s emergency response system. Last year, she served four months on the quorum court after being appointed by the governor to fill the Dist. 12 seat being vacated by Matt Sanders.
Byrd said health-care policy, improving the state’s emergency response call system and fiscal responsibility would be her top priorities in the legislature.
“Being an advanced practice nurse, I see what patients and providers face every day,” she said.
Byrd has had a 28-year career in nursing, and the last 21 have been as an advance practice nurse. She is on faculty at UAMS College of Nursing.
Dist. 43 includes most of Cabot and parts of northwest Lonoke County.
Lemons said on Tuesday, “The opportunity to serve the citizens of Cabot is an honor I’ll cherish forever, and I’m looking forward to continuing that dedicated service in the next term. I’m thankful for the continued support of the people of Dist. 43, and I ask for their support again in the coming election season.”
He said he helped cut taxes for Arkansas families and is committed to reforming the state tax code. He said he supports business growth and Arkansas’ public school systems.
“Cabot is fortunate to have one of the best schools in the state. It’s important to me that we take lessons learned from our success here and apply it across Arkansas to help every student get a great education,” Lemons said.
He served six years on the Lonoke County Quorum Court before joining the legislature.
He’s also served on many Cabot-area boards, including the Cabot chamber and Cabot Parks and Recreation. He has coached several youth baseball teams and volunteered for Special Olympics, Relay for Life and Project Lead the Way at Cabot High School.
At the Capitol, Lemons is chairman of the City, County and Local Affairs Committee. He is a member of the House Public Transportation Com-mittee and the Legislative Joint Audit.
“Many times, the decisions in the City, County and Local Affairs Committee have a direct and immediate impact of the residents of our state, along with the city and counties to which they are governed. I take this big responsibility to heart and will continue to do what I can to increase jobs while cutting the waste from government and reducing taxes,” Lemons said.
Lemons was encouraged to seek re-election by his wife Janice, who for much of this year has been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.
“During our last visit to MD Anderson, we received a great report that Janice is beating this cancer. After leaving the doctor, Janice asked me to please consider running, for her. I have been in church all my life, but I never realized just how strong prayer really is, and I thank those who continue to pray for Janice and our family,” he said.
They live in Cabot, where he owns Lemons Engineering Consultants. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Byrd was born in Little Rock and raised in Pine Bluff. She is not married and does not have children.
She earned her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing from UAMS and has a doctorate of nursing practice from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
She provides clinical services on a fill-in basis and now works in Altheimer (Jefferson County).
“Over the last year, I’ve become aware of some of the problems of interoperability of emergency first responders,” she said Monday of her interest in boosting 911 response.
Byrd mentioned Lonoke County has some dead spots in the Arkansas Wireless Infor-mation Network, which handles public-safety communications.
She said, as a legislator, she’d help the state prepare for “the next generation of emergency 911 call systems.”
“AT&T has received contract for First Net, dedicated for public safety across the country,” Byrd said.
The county’s 911 advisory committee will meet Thursday, she said.
“We need to be fiscally responsible with what we do and how we do it. Make sure to have the infrastructure to rollout the next generation of emergency technology,” she said.
Byrd said she was urged to run again by Cabot Alderman Rick Prentice, Wynonne Dwiggins of the Wade Knox Child Advocacy Center and Janice Treadway of Kiwanis Club. Byrd emphasized those organizations have not endorsed her.
“I appreciate their support and their willingness to serve on my committee and in this campaign,” Byrd said.
Byrd is president of the Lonoke County Coalition for Progress, which holds the annual Lonoke County Leadership program. She is first vice president of the Lonoke County Republican Committee.
Byrd was appointed by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee to the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and served one term as its president. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt appointed her to the National Advisory Committee for Rural Health and Human Services.
She has worked with state legislators, the state Depart-ment of Health and Arkansas Medicaid on a variety of health-care issues.
Leader editor
State Rep. Tim Lemons (R-Cabot) will have a familiar opponent in his bid for a third term next year.
Darlene Byrd will challenge him again in House Dist. 43 in the Republican primary set for May 2018.
It will be a rematch of their 2014 faceoff in the Republican primary for the seat, when Lemons was first elected. Lemons won by 653 votes. He ran unopposed in 2016.
Byrd, a nurse practitioner, is chairwoman of the Lonoke County 911 Call Center Advisory Committee, which is working to modernize the county’s emergency response system. Last year, she served four months on the quorum court after being appointed by the governor to fill the Dist. 12 seat being vacated by Matt Sanders.
Byrd said health-care policy, improving the state’s emergency response call system and fiscal responsibility would be her top priorities in the legislature.
“Being an advanced practice nurse, I see what patients and providers face every day,” she said.
Byrd has had a 28-year career in nursing, and the last 21 have been as an advance practice nurse. She is on faculty at UAMS College of Nursing.
Dist. 43 includes most of Cabot and parts of northwest Lonoke County.
Lemons said on Tuesday, “The opportunity to serve the citizens of Cabot is an honor I’ll cherish forever, and I’m looking forward to continuing that dedicated service in the next term. I’m thankful for the continued support of the people of Dist. 43, and I ask for their support again in the coming election season.”
He said he helped cut taxes for Arkansas families and is committed to reforming the state tax code. He said he supports business growth and Arkansas’ public school systems.
“Cabot is fortunate to have one of the best schools in the state. It’s important to me that we take lessons learned from our success here and apply it across Arkansas to help every student get a great education,” Lemons said.
He served six years on the Lonoke County Quorum Court before joining the legislature.
He’s also served on many Cabot-area boards, including the Cabot chamber and Cabot Parks and Recreation. He has coached several youth baseball teams and volunteered for Special Olympics, Relay for Life and Project Lead the Way at Cabot High School.
At the Capitol, Lemons is chairman of the City, County and Local Affairs Committee. He is a member of the House Public Transportation Com-mittee and the Legislative Joint Audit.
“Many times, the decisions in the City, County and Local Affairs Committee have a direct and immediate impact of the residents of our state, along with the city and counties to which they are governed. I take this big responsibility to heart and will continue to do what I can to increase jobs while cutting the waste from government and reducing taxes,” Lemons said.
Lemons was encouraged to seek re-election by his wife Janice, who for much of this year has been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.
“During our last visit to MD Anderson, we received a great report that Janice is beating this cancer. After leaving the doctor, Janice asked me to please consider running, for her. I have been in church all my life, but I never realized just how strong prayer really is, and I thank those who continue to pray for Janice and our family,” he said.
They live in Cabot, where he owns Lemons Engineering Consultants. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Byrd was born in Little Rock and raised in Pine Bluff. She is not married and does not have children.
She earned her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing from UAMS and has a doctorate of nursing practice from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
She provides clinical services on a fill-in basis and now works in Altheimer (Jefferson County).
“Over the last year, I’ve become aware of some of the problems of interoperability of emergency first responders,” she said Monday of her interest in boosting 911 response.
Byrd mentioned Lonoke County has some dead spots in the Arkansas Wireless Infor-mation Network, which handles public-safety communications.
She said, as a legislator, she’d help the state prepare for “the next generation of emergency 911 call systems.”
“AT&T has received contract for First Net, dedicated for public safety across the country,” Byrd said.
The county’s 911 advisory committee will meet Thursday, she said.
“We need to be fiscally responsible with what we do and how we do it. Make sure to have the infrastructure to rollout the next generation of emergency technology,” she said.
Byrd said she was urged to run again by Cabot Alderman Rick Prentice, Wynonne Dwiggins of the Wade Knox Child Advocacy Center and Janice Treadway of Kiwanis Club. Byrd emphasized those organizations have not endorsed her.
“I appreciate their support and their willingness to serve on my committee and in this campaign,” Byrd said.
Byrd is president of the Lonoke County Coalition for Progress, which holds the annual Lonoke County Leadership program. She is first vice president of the Lonoke County Republican Committee.
Byrd was appointed by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee to the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and served one term as its president. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt appointed her to the National Advisory Committee for Rural Health and Human Services.
She has worked with state legislators, the state Depart-ment of Health and Arkansas Medicaid on a variety of health-care issues.
Monday, October 02, 2017
TOP STORY >> Hall of Fame inductees
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
The Cabot Panther Foundation inducted a businessman, a police officer, a school board member, a superintendent and a teacher into the Cabot Schools Hall of Fame during the ninth annual banquet on Tuesday.
Retired NBA player Joe Kleine was the guest speaker and 2012 inductee Channel 11 weatherman Tom Brannon was emcee.
RONNIE ABSHURE
Ronnie Abshure is a 1964 Cabot High School graduate and lifelong resident of Lonoke County who was born in the Bethlehem community. He was on the junior and senior high football teams.
He was drafted into the service and did two tours in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1969. Abshure returned to Cabot after the military and married Rita Mulkey.
Abshure was a pipe fitter and later founded Arkansas Automatic Sprinklers in 1984 in Cabot. Abshure and business partner Bob Walton sold the company in 2009 and retired.
Gene Crouch nominated Abshure to the Hall of Fame. Crouch said Abshure was a strong supporter of Cabot schools.
He helped nonprofit groups with food and financial assistance for Lonoke County’s less fortunate citizens.
“He is content being a quiet, humble, unheralded man doing good things for others without recognition expected,” Crouch said.
“I’m honored to be inducted to the Hall of Fame. I thank the Panther Foundation, Gene Crouch for the nomination and my family and friends,” Abshure said.
JOSEPH "TWEDELL" GUNTER
Joseph Gunter (1904-1972) was a state representative in 1945 and served on the Cabot School Board for 15 years. He helped commission the building of the Cabot High School gymnasium in 1962 after a fire destroyed the old gym.
Gunter petitioned the state Highway Commission in the 1960s to have Hwy. 5 come into Cabot from El Paso.
Gunter was born in a log cabin on Hwy. 319. He attended a one-room school in the Sixteenth Section community until the fifth grade. He was self-educated and left home at age 15.
He returned to the area in the 1920s to teach, although without a diploma, at his old school he attended.
He married Berthal Fiddler, a school teacher at the Baugh’s Chapel community, five miles east of Sixteenth Section, and started a family.
Gunter had a passion for politics. He was Lonoke County treasurer in the 1930s.
“He was known in the Sixteen Section community for his math skills. Many of the neighbors would come to him to figure the pitch of a roof. He had a love of politics we didn’t quite share with him,” Joseph Gunter Jr. said.
Gunter drilled for oil in the area and hit natural gas in the early 1940s. It was during the war and he could not get parts, water seeped in and sealed the natural gas his son said.
In the 1940s, he purchased land on West Lewisburg Road and dug a large lake and two small lakes to irrigate a truck patch garden and for recreation. The property was sold in 1957 and renamed Indian Lakes.
Gunter opened a small grocery store in the Sixteenth Section community. In the early 1950s, he managed a farmer’s cooperative in Ward, formed to sell strawberries shipped out by rail.
Gunter lived to age 68. He died from lung cancer due to smoking.
“My family is honored with this award,” Gunter Jr. said.
LARRY ROGERS
Larry Rogers was superintendent of the Cabot School District for 10 years from 1991 to 2001.
Rogers grew up in Oden (Montgomery County) and graduated from Oden High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in political science from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, where he met Sharon, his wife of 52 years.
Rogers earned a doctorate in educational administration at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1972.
He was director of special education and gifted programs for the state Department of Education before coming to Cabot in 1980 as an assistant superintendent.
Rogers became superintendent in 1991. During his time, Cabot’s enrollment doubled from 3,500 to 7,500 students.
He established an in-house construction management system. It saved the district 20 percent in construction costs and the school district only went to public once for a millage increase.
As superintendent, Rogers saw the construction of Ward Central Elementary, Middle School North, Middle School South, the original Junior High North, Magness Creek Elementary and the Central Administration Building.
One of Rogers’ fondest memories was when then- Gov. Jim Guy Tucker came to Cabot to promote a plan to consolidate school districts and remove local control.
The crowd of 2,000 filled the Fine Arts Auditorium that held 1,200 to show opposition to Tucker’s plan. Opposition was shared by school board members.
Two weeks later Tucker revealed a new plan that supported local control.
Rogers’ top priorities were a strong curriculum, healthy learning environment and support of staff members. Rogers said he talked Jack Carrington out of retirement returning to the high school as principal because of his experience and community trust.
He talked Gene Crouch into retiring from the FBI and returning to teaching and coaching.
Rogers was recognized in 1997 by the Cabot Chamber of Commerce as Man of the Year.
“I want to thank the Cabot Panther Foundation for this honor. I will treasurer it for the rest of my life. Any success came from support from work and at home,” Rogers said.
BRENDA COVINGTON SHURLEY
Brenda Shurley is a 1967 Cabot High School graduate. She was homecoming queen. She earned her master’s degree in education at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Shurley had a 20-year teaching career with 10 years at the Cabot School District.
She returned to Cabot in 1972 as a teacher. After leaving due to her husband’s job relocations, she came back to Cabot in 1985.
Shurley found in her first year of teaching, students were having trouble with grammar. She began developing her own curriculum, “Shurley English.”
In 1989, Shurley Instructional Materials was published.
Ruth Wetsell worked with Shurley for 25 years after her son had Shurley as a fourth grade teacher in 1986. Many former students can remember the jingles.
“She wrote her own curriculum at night, on weekends and during vacation,” Wetsell said.
Shurley’s curriculum expanded to 360 instructional materials for kindergarten to eighth grades.
There are eight editions of Shurley English taught in public, private and home schools in the U.S. and 10 countries. All titles are shipped directly from Shurley Instructional Materials, a family-owned and operated company in Cabot with 21 employees.
The Shurley family is a supporter of ASU-Beebe by funding the Shurley Learning Center and the Shurley Greenhouse. A scholarship bearing her name is provided each year since 2004 to a student pursuing a career in education.
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving to receive this award that represents Cabot more than her,” friend Gale Baker said.
“She is one of the most humble, generous and committed individuals I know,” Baker said.
Shurley thanked the Cabot Panther Foundation to be selected to the Hall of Fame.
“It is great honor, and I’m appreciative. Teaching has been a passion I’ve had forever. As a teacher I was looking for better ways to help my students and that’s the reason I created Shurley curriculum,” Shurley said.
“I have, over the years, received support from family, friends and the Shurley team. I could not have done it without you,” she said.
Shurley thanked Cabot for teaching her and giving her the foundation she needed to follow her dream.
MIKE VERKLER
Mike Verkler is a 1976 graduate of Cabot High School. He holds a bachelor’s in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an associate’s in agriculture from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
Verkler retired in 2010 after a 31-year career in law enforcement, 28 of those with the Little Rock Police Department.
He and his wife, Dawn own and operate Woodlawn Ranch and Arena in the Woodlawn community.
He is a past member of the Lonoke County Quorum Court. He received the Lonoke County Citizen of the Year Award in 2016.
Verkler is a member of the Cabot Scholarship Foundation and president of the Cabot Panther Foundation and is on the Cabot FFA Advisory Board.
“Mike Verkler is giving. He finds a way to get the job done or finds someone who will help him. Mike knows everyone and has more friends than anyone I know. He helped many people by loaning them money, to mending fences or loaning equipment and tools,” Panther Foundation board member Joey York said.
“If he gives you his word and handshake that is all you need. He will give you 110-percent of hard work and dedication – proven time and again,” York said.
“This is a great honor. Thanks for supporting the Panther Foundation. I serve a great board,” Verkler said.
He said the 33 prior inductees had a great impact on his life and there is a whole room of people attending that are deserving and will be inducted in the future.
The Cabot Panther Foundation Hall of Fame was started in 2008 to celebrate the successes of public education by honoring talented graduates of Cabot Public Schools and local leaders who provided distinguished service to public schools.
The group awards up to 10 $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors annually.
Leader staff writer
The Cabot Panther Foundation inducted a businessman, a police officer, a school board member, a superintendent and a teacher into the Cabot Schools Hall of Fame during the ninth annual banquet on Tuesday.
Retired NBA player Joe Kleine was the guest speaker and 2012 inductee Channel 11 weatherman Tom Brannon was emcee.
RONNIE ABSHURE
Ronnie Abshure is a 1964 Cabot High School graduate and lifelong resident of Lonoke County who was born in the Bethlehem community. He was on the junior and senior high football teams.
He was drafted into the service and did two tours in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1969. Abshure returned to Cabot after the military and married Rita Mulkey.
Abshure was a pipe fitter and later founded Arkansas Automatic Sprinklers in 1984 in Cabot. Abshure and business partner Bob Walton sold the company in 2009 and retired.
Gene Crouch nominated Abshure to the Hall of Fame. Crouch said Abshure was a strong supporter of Cabot schools.
He helped nonprofit groups with food and financial assistance for Lonoke County’s less fortunate citizens.
“He is content being a quiet, humble, unheralded man doing good things for others without recognition expected,” Crouch said.
“I’m honored to be inducted to the Hall of Fame. I thank the Panther Foundation, Gene Crouch for the nomination and my family and friends,” Abshure said.
JOSEPH "TWEDELL" GUNTER
Joseph Gunter (1904-1972) was a state representative in 1945 and served on the Cabot School Board for 15 years. He helped commission the building of the Cabot High School gymnasium in 1962 after a fire destroyed the old gym.
Gunter petitioned the state Highway Commission in the 1960s to have Hwy. 5 come into Cabot from El Paso.
Gunter was born in a log cabin on Hwy. 319. He attended a one-room school in the Sixteenth Section community until the fifth grade. He was self-educated and left home at age 15.
He returned to the area in the 1920s to teach, although without a diploma, at his old school he attended.
He married Berthal Fiddler, a school teacher at the Baugh’s Chapel community, five miles east of Sixteenth Section, and started a family.
Gunter had a passion for politics. He was Lonoke County treasurer in the 1930s.
“He was known in the Sixteen Section community for his math skills. Many of the neighbors would come to him to figure the pitch of a roof. He had a love of politics we didn’t quite share with him,” Joseph Gunter Jr. said.
Gunter drilled for oil in the area and hit natural gas in the early 1940s. It was during the war and he could not get parts, water seeped in and sealed the natural gas his son said.
In the 1940s, he purchased land on West Lewisburg Road and dug a large lake and two small lakes to irrigate a truck patch garden and for recreation. The property was sold in 1957 and renamed Indian Lakes.
Gunter opened a small grocery store in the Sixteenth Section community. In the early 1950s, he managed a farmer’s cooperative in Ward, formed to sell strawberries shipped out by rail.
Gunter lived to age 68. He died from lung cancer due to smoking.
“My family is honored with this award,” Gunter Jr. said.
LARRY ROGERS
Larry Rogers was superintendent of the Cabot School District for 10 years from 1991 to 2001.
Rogers grew up in Oden (Montgomery County) and graduated from Oden High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in political science from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, where he met Sharon, his wife of 52 years.
Rogers earned a doctorate in educational administration at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1972.
He was director of special education and gifted programs for the state Department of Education before coming to Cabot in 1980 as an assistant superintendent.
Rogers became superintendent in 1991. During his time, Cabot’s enrollment doubled from 3,500 to 7,500 students.
He established an in-house construction management system. It saved the district 20 percent in construction costs and the school district only went to public once for a millage increase.
As superintendent, Rogers saw the construction of Ward Central Elementary, Middle School North, Middle School South, the original Junior High North, Magness Creek Elementary and the Central Administration Building.
One of Rogers’ fondest memories was when then- Gov. Jim Guy Tucker came to Cabot to promote a plan to consolidate school districts and remove local control.
The crowd of 2,000 filled the Fine Arts Auditorium that held 1,200 to show opposition to Tucker’s plan. Opposition was shared by school board members.
Two weeks later Tucker revealed a new plan that supported local control.
Rogers’ top priorities were a strong curriculum, healthy learning environment and support of staff members. Rogers said he talked Jack Carrington out of retirement returning to the high school as principal because of his experience and community trust.
He talked Gene Crouch into retiring from the FBI and returning to teaching and coaching.
Rogers was recognized in 1997 by the Cabot Chamber of Commerce as Man of the Year.
“I want to thank the Cabot Panther Foundation for this honor. I will treasurer it for the rest of my life. Any success came from support from work and at home,” Rogers said.
BRENDA COVINGTON SHURLEY
Brenda Shurley is a 1967 Cabot High School graduate. She was homecoming queen. She earned her master’s degree in education at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Shurley had a 20-year teaching career with 10 years at the Cabot School District.
She returned to Cabot in 1972 as a teacher. After leaving due to her husband’s job relocations, she came back to Cabot in 1985.
Shurley found in her first year of teaching, students were having trouble with grammar. She began developing her own curriculum, “Shurley English.”
In 1989, Shurley Instructional Materials was published.
Ruth Wetsell worked with Shurley for 25 years after her son had Shurley as a fourth grade teacher in 1986. Many former students can remember the jingles.
“She wrote her own curriculum at night, on weekends and during vacation,” Wetsell said.
Shurley’s curriculum expanded to 360 instructional materials for kindergarten to eighth grades.
There are eight editions of Shurley English taught in public, private and home schools in the U.S. and 10 countries. All titles are shipped directly from Shurley Instructional Materials, a family-owned and operated company in Cabot with 21 employees.
The Shurley family is a supporter of ASU-Beebe by funding the Shurley Learning Center and the Shurley Greenhouse. A scholarship bearing her name is provided each year since 2004 to a student pursuing a career in education.
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving to receive this award that represents Cabot more than her,” friend Gale Baker said.
“She is one of the most humble, generous and committed individuals I know,” Baker said.
Shurley thanked the Cabot Panther Foundation to be selected to the Hall of Fame.
“It is great honor, and I’m appreciative. Teaching has been a passion I’ve had forever. As a teacher I was looking for better ways to help my students and that’s the reason I created Shurley curriculum,” Shurley said.
“I have, over the years, received support from family, friends and the Shurley team. I could not have done it without you,” she said.
Shurley thanked Cabot for teaching her and giving her the foundation she needed to follow her dream.
MIKE VERKLER
Mike Verkler is a 1976 graduate of Cabot High School. He holds a bachelor’s in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an associate’s in agriculture from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
Verkler retired in 2010 after a 31-year career in law enforcement, 28 of those with the Little Rock Police Department.
He and his wife, Dawn own and operate Woodlawn Ranch and Arena in the Woodlawn community.
He is a past member of the Lonoke County Quorum Court. He received the Lonoke County Citizen of the Year Award in 2016.
Verkler is a member of the Cabot Scholarship Foundation and president of the Cabot Panther Foundation and is on the Cabot FFA Advisory Board.
“Mike Verkler is giving. He finds a way to get the job done or finds someone who will help him. Mike knows everyone and has more friends than anyone I know. He helped many people by loaning them money, to mending fences or loaning equipment and tools,” Panther Foundation board member Joey York said.
“If he gives you his word and handshake that is all you need. He will give you 110-percent of hard work and dedication – proven time and again,” York said.
“This is a great honor. Thanks for supporting the Panther Foundation. I serve a great board,” Verkler said.
He said the 33 prior inductees had a great impact on his life and there is a whole room of people attending that are deserving and will be inducted in the future.
The Cabot Panther Foundation Hall of Fame was started in 2008 to celebrate the successes of public education by honoring talented graduates of Cabot Public Schools and local leaders who provided distinguished service to public schools.
The group awards up to 10 $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors annually.
EDITORIAL >> Durham’s departure
Jacksonville City Administrator Jim Durham stepped down Friday after nearly 40 years of service to the community. He’s been Mayor Gary Fletcher’s right-hand man since 2009.
A retirement reception for Durham will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at city hall.
Durham’s job has come to characterize much of Fletcher’s tenure as mayor. In their time as the city’s top officials, Fletcher and Durham have pursued major economic development plans in hopes of revitalizing Jacksonville.
Jacksonville must stay focused on long-term progress. The recently announced downtown revitalization program headed by Dr. Robert Price is another hopeful sign that the city is serious about preserving its past and building a better future. We’ve come a long way.
The best days are yet to come, and they can’t arrive soon enough. The community is eager to stabilize the city’s finances and attract new businesses. Those things take time.
The new Jacksonville-North Pulaski School District is building four new schools – a high school, a middle school and two elementary schools – when not one has been built or even had a major remodeling in more than 40 years.
Yet current city government cannot claim much credit for those accomplishments. Durham and Fletcher firmly supported the new district, and helped pass, however narrowly, a key property tax increase to help pay for the new school construction, but much more is needed to move Jacksonville forward.
The most ambitious plans of Fletcher and Durham seemed to have turned into the most contentious issues for Jacksonville — the Arkansas Game and Fish Shooting Complex and the Oklahoma-based economic developer Ricky Hayes come to mind.
But it’s clear that Jacksonville is improving. The Hwy. 67/167 widening project will make the city more appealing to developers.
An election on Nov. 14 to allow liquor sales in restaurants in Gray Township, which includes most of Jacksonville, will help, too. Alcohol restrictions have hurt the city. A solution to that problem appeared during the tough infighting during the debate over economic-development strategies. Sherwood, which includes parts of Gray Township, will also vote on the issue on the same date.
Families will see Jacksonville as a fun and practical place to live once the new schools open.
When was the last time Jacksonville residents could see such a brighter future?
Nevertheless, we predict a tough mayoral campaign in 2018.
State Rep. Bob Johnson (D-Jacksonville) has already announced he will challenge Fletcher. Johnson, an accountant, will make the city’s precarious financial condition a flagship issue.
The mayor can still turn things around if revenue collections increase. He will also have to quickly resolve the long lingering issue of Geoffrey Herweg, who was ordered by a judge to step down as police chief until the state Supreme Court decides if he’s eligible for the job after being convicted of filing a false police report in Texas, where Herweg lost his policing credentials and even spent a day in jail over the incident. He went on to have a career protecting U.S. military and diplomatic installations in Iraq and Afghanistan and then as an assistant police chief in New Mexico.
The state Supreme Court, although it made no final decision, recently signaled it’s not pleased with Herweg’s hiring. There’s a strong chance the city will have to find someone else.
In the off chance the justices rule in the mayor’s favor and allow Herweg to be the city’s top cop, he could be a major campaign issue in November 2018.
A retirement reception for Durham will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at city hall.
Durham’s job has come to characterize much of Fletcher’s tenure as mayor. In their time as the city’s top officials, Fletcher and Durham have pursued major economic development plans in hopes of revitalizing Jacksonville.
Jacksonville must stay focused on long-term progress. The recently announced downtown revitalization program headed by Dr. Robert Price is another hopeful sign that the city is serious about preserving its past and building a better future. We’ve come a long way.
The best days are yet to come, and they can’t arrive soon enough. The community is eager to stabilize the city’s finances and attract new businesses. Those things take time.
The new Jacksonville-North Pulaski School District is building four new schools – a high school, a middle school and two elementary schools – when not one has been built or even had a major remodeling in more than 40 years.
Yet current city government cannot claim much credit for those accomplishments. Durham and Fletcher firmly supported the new district, and helped pass, however narrowly, a key property tax increase to help pay for the new school construction, but much more is needed to move Jacksonville forward.
The most ambitious plans of Fletcher and Durham seemed to have turned into the most contentious issues for Jacksonville — the Arkansas Game and Fish Shooting Complex and the Oklahoma-based economic developer Ricky Hayes come to mind.
But it’s clear that Jacksonville is improving. The Hwy. 67/167 widening project will make the city more appealing to developers.
An election on Nov. 14 to allow liquor sales in restaurants in Gray Township, which includes most of Jacksonville, will help, too. Alcohol restrictions have hurt the city. A solution to that problem appeared during the tough infighting during the debate over economic-development strategies. Sherwood, which includes parts of Gray Township, will also vote on the issue on the same date.
Families will see Jacksonville as a fun and practical place to live once the new schools open.
When was the last time Jacksonville residents could see such a brighter future?
Nevertheless, we predict a tough mayoral campaign in 2018.
State Rep. Bob Johnson (D-Jacksonville) has already announced he will challenge Fletcher. Johnson, an accountant, will make the city’s precarious financial condition a flagship issue.
The mayor can still turn things around if revenue collections increase. He will also have to quickly resolve the long lingering issue of Geoffrey Herweg, who was ordered by a judge to step down as police chief until the state Supreme Court decides if he’s eligible for the job after being convicted of filing a false police report in Texas, where Herweg lost his policing credentials and even spent a day in jail over the incident. He went on to have a career protecting U.S. military and diplomatic installations in Iraq and Afghanistan and then as an assistant police chief in New Mexico.
The state Supreme Court, although it made no final decision, recently signaled it’s not pleased with Herweg’s hiring. There’s a strong chance the city will have to find someone else.
In the off chance the justices rule in the mayor’s favor and allow Herweg to be the city’s top cop, he could be a major campaign issue in November 2018.
SPORTS STORY >> Rabbits get offense rolling against Prep
By ANN THARP
Special to The Leader
The Lonoke Jackrabbits evened their conference record at 1-1 with a 2-4A home victory at James B. Abraham Stadium over the Baptist Prep Eagles Friday night by a final of 49-14. The Jackrabbits are 2-3 overall, and Baptist Prep remains winless. Lonoke scored first and the most in the first half, leading 21-7 at intermission. The Jackrabbits then scored on each possession of the second half, including a kick off return for a touchdown, while holding the Eagles to one score.
“It was a good win. We needed that,” Lonoke coach Taggart Moore commented. “I thought the first half, we came out, we did some things, we saw some different stuff out of them, so we made good adjustments. All the coaches got in there and used what they saw in the first half and drew it up on the board, and the kids took the coaching. We came out and played great in the second half. It was a great win, and we’re ready for Southside next week.”
After Lonoke forced a three and out on the first possession of the game by Baptist Prep, Lonoke wasted no time putting a touchdown on the scoreboard. Michael Hodges picked up 29 yards. Quarterback Daniel Seigrist then connected with Braidon Bryant for a 53-yard touchdown reception. Nick Tate added the point after for the 7-0 early lead, with 8:45 left in the opening quarter.
The Eagles had a drive going, reaching the Lonoke 23 before a fumble and a sack resulted in an over on downs to the Jackrabbits on their own 35-yard line. Again, the home team scored quickly, going the 65 yards in only two plays.
The first was a 41-yard run by Lexington Mays, followed by a 24-yard scamper by Xavier Hodge. Tate added the extra point, and the lead was 14-0 with 1:06 remaining in the first period.
The Eagles got on the board with 8:09 remaining in quarter number two. Quarterback Jax Coleman had a 29-yard completion to Hunter Teaster, and Nicholas Jones carried three times for 20 yards, the last two for the touchdown. Allie Mead added the point after to cut the advantage to 14-7.
Lonoke covered the ensuing onside kick at midfield. Davonta Adams started the drive with a 23-yard run, and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown carry. Tate was good again for the extra, and the lead was 21-7 with 5:40 remaining in the half.
An interception by De’Angelo Noid gave the ball back to the Jackrabbits, but neither team scored again until the third quarter when Lonoke scored again in two plays from its own 48 with less than a minute off the clock. It was Adams again on the score, this time with a 49-yard touchdown run. Tate’s point after made the lead 28-7.
The Eagles turned the ball over by way of a fumble recovered by Hodges. Hodge ran for 37 yards and a touchdown, again on the second play from scrimmage, and the score grew to 35-7.
Seigrist got in on the scoring on the next Lonoke drive as he first picked up seven yards to move the chains on fourth and two, then scored on a keeper from seven yards out. This made the score 42-7 with 3:10 to go in the third, and the sportsmanship rule came into play.
The Eagles put together a 15-play, 69-yard scoring drive, with Jonathan Gilliam scoring from one yard, and the score was 42-14 after Mead’s point after.
The final score of the game came on the following play as Adams returned the kick off roughly 80 yards for a touchdown. Tate was a perfect 7 for 7 for the night on extra points, and the final score was set at 49-14.
Lonoke had 330 yards of offense, while holding the Eagles to 202. Adams led Lonoke in rushing with 8 carries for 96 yards, two touchdowns and the kick off return for touchdown. Hodge rushed six times for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Mays carried 8 times for 64 yards.
The Jackrabbits travel to Southside Batesville next Friday night.
Special to The Leader
The Lonoke Jackrabbits evened their conference record at 1-1 with a 2-4A home victory at James B. Abraham Stadium over the Baptist Prep Eagles Friday night by a final of 49-14. The Jackrabbits are 2-3 overall, and Baptist Prep remains winless. Lonoke scored first and the most in the first half, leading 21-7 at intermission. The Jackrabbits then scored on each possession of the second half, including a kick off return for a touchdown, while holding the Eagles to one score.
“It was a good win. We needed that,” Lonoke coach Taggart Moore commented. “I thought the first half, we came out, we did some things, we saw some different stuff out of them, so we made good adjustments. All the coaches got in there and used what they saw in the first half and drew it up on the board, and the kids took the coaching. We came out and played great in the second half. It was a great win, and we’re ready for Southside next week.”
After Lonoke forced a three and out on the first possession of the game by Baptist Prep, Lonoke wasted no time putting a touchdown on the scoreboard. Michael Hodges picked up 29 yards. Quarterback Daniel Seigrist then connected with Braidon Bryant for a 53-yard touchdown reception. Nick Tate added the point after for the 7-0 early lead, with 8:45 left in the opening quarter.
The Eagles had a drive going, reaching the Lonoke 23 before a fumble and a sack resulted in an over on downs to the Jackrabbits on their own 35-yard line. Again, the home team scored quickly, going the 65 yards in only two plays.
The first was a 41-yard run by Lexington Mays, followed by a 24-yard scamper by Xavier Hodge. Tate added the extra point, and the lead was 14-0 with 1:06 remaining in the first period.
The Eagles got on the board with 8:09 remaining in quarter number two. Quarterback Jax Coleman had a 29-yard completion to Hunter Teaster, and Nicholas Jones carried three times for 20 yards, the last two for the touchdown. Allie Mead added the point after to cut the advantage to 14-7.
Lonoke covered the ensuing onside kick at midfield. Davonta Adams started the drive with a 23-yard run, and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown carry. Tate was good again for the extra, and the lead was 21-7 with 5:40 remaining in the half.
An interception by De’Angelo Noid gave the ball back to the Jackrabbits, but neither team scored again until the third quarter when Lonoke scored again in two plays from its own 48 with less than a minute off the clock. It was Adams again on the score, this time with a 49-yard touchdown run. Tate’s point after made the lead 28-7.
The Eagles turned the ball over by way of a fumble recovered by Hodges. Hodge ran for 37 yards and a touchdown, again on the second play from scrimmage, and the score grew to 35-7.
Seigrist got in on the scoring on the next Lonoke drive as he first picked up seven yards to move the chains on fourth and two, then scored on a keeper from seven yards out. This made the score 42-7 with 3:10 to go in the third, and the sportsmanship rule came into play.
The Eagles put together a 15-play, 69-yard scoring drive, with Jonathan Gilliam scoring from one yard, and the score was 42-14 after Mead’s point after.
The final score of the game came on the following play as Adams returned the kick off roughly 80 yards for a touchdown. Tate was a perfect 7 for 7 for the night on extra points, and the final score was set at 49-14.
Lonoke had 330 yards of offense, while holding the Eagles to 202. Adams led Lonoke in rushing with 8 carries for 96 yards, two touchdowns and the kick off return for touchdown. Hodge rushed six times for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Mays carried 8 times for 64 yards.
The Jackrabbits travel to Southside Batesville next Friday night.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot conversion seals win
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
It was homecoming night for Cabot, but both teams found a home in the end zone of Panther Stadium. Three special teams gambles failed, but the fourth one paid off for the Panthers, who got a two-point conversion with 2:14 remaining for a nine-point lead, and held on for a 43-41 victory over Fort Smith Southside on Friday.
The Mavericks scored with 4:52 left in the game, but got two penalties, one for illegal procedure and another for illegal participation, that made it a long extra point try that they missed, leaving Cabot with a 35-34 lead.
The Panthers rolled four plays down to the 14-yard line, and Southside called its second timeout with 2:58 to play. The Mavericks (1-4, 0-2) decided during that team huddle to allow Cabot to score, and Panther coach Mike Malham knew it.
He instructed his backs not to score, and they followed instructions for one play. Halfback T.J. Rogers fell down after a 4-yard gain, but on the next play, went 10 yards for the touchdown.
Malham decided to try to put the game away, and fullback Bradley Morales got the 3 yards needed for the conversion and the nine-point lead.
“I knew we had to go for it,” Malham said. “If we hadn’t, we’d be in overtime right now. They can score. They put 35 up on Har-Ber, and Har-Ber has three shutouts in their other three games.
“Our offense played pretty good, too. It was an offensive game. I knew what they were doing letting us score, and I had just told the kid to get three yards and go down. But that’s kids. We got another good conference win. We’re 2-0 in conference, and we’ll try to regroup and get another one next week. There are no easy ones in this conference.”
It looked early like Cabot might win in a blowout. Cabot got the ball first and scored quickly. On the fourth snap, fullback Bradley Morales broke three tackles and cut back from the sideline to the middle of the field for a 65-yard touchdown run just 1:32 into the game.
The defense stopped Southside’s first possession, and on the first play of the ensuing drive, halfback T.J. Rogers got his own 65-yard touchdown run. Ben McCullough’s extra point made it 14-0 with 6:58 left in the first quarter.
Cabot stopped the Mavericks next drive as well, but could only manage one first down before facing fourth and 2 on its own 30.
The Panthers (4-1, 2-0) faked the punt and snapped to Morales, but he was dropped for a 1-yard loss. Four plays later, Southside was in the end zone on an 11-yard pass from Gatewood to Jordan Jackson with 10:56 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers didn’t take long to answer. Halfback Noah Sorrell got 23 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive. Four plays and 22 yards later, John Wiens took the tight end counter handoff 22 more yards to the Southside 2-yard line. Morales got the rest for a 21-7 lead with 8:45 to go until halftime.
Southside initially went backwards on the next possession, but converted third and 18 from its own 12 with a 21-yard catch by Jackson.
Another penalty backed Southside up again, but Gatewood answered with a 15-yard completion to Tyrese Solomon, and an offsides penalty gave the Mavericks the first down. Two Jackson catches later, one of 13 and the other of 42, put the Mavs in the end zone again, making it 21-14 with 5:53 to go.
The Mavericks then surprised Cabot with an on-side kick that No. 80 covered easily at the Cabot 47. Gatewood went to his favorite target again on the very next play, and connected with Jackson for 44 yards.
The converted RB carried it in himself on the next play and the extra point tied the game with 5:17 until intermission.
The Panthers put together a nice drive after that, going 85 yards in nine plays without facing a third down. A 24-yard run by Morales set up first and goal, and Rogers got the last 2 yards for a 28-21 lead with 1:42 on the clock.
Gatewood continued to shred Cabot’s defense on the first drive of the second half. A holding penalty negated a 14-yard gain, and led to fourth and 15, but Southside converted.
Gatewood hit Solomon for a 23-yard gain to the Cabot 32. The safety had dropped back deep for a quick kick, leaving a huge hole in the middle of the field for the easy conversion.
Gatewood then hit Mason Love for 28 yards to the 4, and then went to Love again for the score to tie the game with 10:01 left in the third quarter.
Southside then had a chance to take the lead after stopping Cabot on downs. The Mavericks drove from their own 9-yard line to Cabot 34. John Wiens and Jansen Hubanks finally got some pressure on Gatewood, and he threw as he was being hit.
The pass was under thrown, and Zhane Harper picked it off at the 25-yard line. He returned it 31 yards, but an illegal block was called on Hubanks, and Cabot started at their own 38.
This time the Panthers barreled down the field, overcoming an 11-yard holding penalty when Rogers took the counter handoff 32 yards on second and 17 to the Southside 11. He went 9 yards on the same play and Oaks sneaked it in from there.
McCullough’s PAT made it 35-28 with 42 seconds to go in the third.
Cabot had a chance to put it away after stopping Southside’s next possession, but more penalties and a fumble made it third and 16, and Oaks threw an interception under pressure. That set up Southside’s fourth-quarter touchdown and missed extra point.
Both teams went over 500 yards of offense. Southside had 593 total yards to 520 for Cabot. Gatewood did it all for the Mavs. He completed 23 of 41 pass attempts for 359 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball 23 times for 182 yards and three more scores.
All of Cabot’s offense came on the ground. Rogers carried 17 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Morales carried 11 times for 169 yards and two scores. Sophomore Graham Turner added 70 yards on eight carries for the Panthers.
Cabot will travel to Conway next week. The Wampus Cats (3-2, 1-1) lost 24-14 at North Little Rock last night.
Leader sports editor
It was homecoming night for Cabot, but both teams found a home in the end zone of Panther Stadium. Three special teams gambles failed, but the fourth one paid off for the Panthers, who got a two-point conversion with 2:14 remaining for a nine-point lead, and held on for a 43-41 victory over Fort Smith Southside on Friday.
The Mavericks scored with 4:52 left in the game, but got two penalties, one for illegal procedure and another for illegal participation, that made it a long extra point try that they missed, leaving Cabot with a 35-34 lead.
The Panthers rolled four plays down to the 14-yard line, and Southside called its second timeout with 2:58 to play. The Mavericks (1-4, 0-2) decided during that team huddle to allow Cabot to score, and Panther coach Mike Malham knew it.
He instructed his backs not to score, and they followed instructions for one play. Halfback T.J. Rogers fell down after a 4-yard gain, but on the next play, went 10 yards for the touchdown.
Malham decided to try to put the game away, and fullback Bradley Morales got the 3 yards needed for the conversion and the nine-point lead.
“I knew we had to go for it,” Malham said. “If we hadn’t, we’d be in overtime right now. They can score. They put 35 up on Har-Ber, and Har-Ber has three shutouts in their other three games.
“Our offense played pretty good, too. It was an offensive game. I knew what they were doing letting us score, and I had just told the kid to get three yards and go down. But that’s kids. We got another good conference win. We’re 2-0 in conference, and we’ll try to regroup and get another one next week. There are no easy ones in this conference.”
It looked early like Cabot might win in a blowout. Cabot got the ball first and scored quickly. On the fourth snap, fullback Bradley Morales broke three tackles and cut back from the sideline to the middle of the field for a 65-yard touchdown run just 1:32 into the game.
The defense stopped Southside’s first possession, and on the first play of the ensuing drive, halfback T.J. Rogers got his own 65-yard touchdown run. Ben McCullough’s extra point made it 14-0 with 6:58 left in the first quarter.
Cabot stopped the Mavericks next drive as well, but could only manage one first down before facing fourth and 2 on its own 30.
The Panthers (4-1, 2-0) faked the punt and snapped to Morales, but he was dropped for a 1-yard loss. Four plays later, Southside was in the end zone on an 11-yard pass from Gatewood to Jordan Jackson with 10:56 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers didn’t take long to answer. Halfback Noah Sorrell got 23 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive. Four plays and 22 yards later, John Wiens took the tight end counter handoff 22 more yards to the Southside 2-yard line. Morales got the rest for a 21-7 lead with 8:45 to go until halftime.
Southside initially went backwards on the next possession, but converted third and 18 from its own 12 with a 21-yard catch by Jackson.
Another penalty backed Southside up again, but Gatewood answered with a 15-yard completion to Tyrese Solomon, and an offsides penalty gave the Mavericks the first down. Two Jackson catches later, one of 13 and the other of 42, put the Mavs in the end zone again, making it 21-14 with 5:53 to go.
The Mavericks then surprised Cabot with an on-side kick that No. 80 covered easily at the Cabot 47. Gatewood went to his favorite target again on the very next play, and connected with Jackson for 44 yards.
The converted RB carried it in himself on the next play and the extra point tied the game with 5:17 until intermission.
The Panthers put together a nice drive after that, going 85 yards in nine plays without facing a third down. A 24-yard run by Morales set up first and goal, and Rogers got the last 2 yards for a 28-21 lead with 1:42 on the clock.
Gatewood continued to shred Cabot’s defense on the first drive of the second half. A holding penalty negated a 14-yard gain, and led to fourth and 15, but Southside converted.
Gatewood hit Solomon for a 23-yard gain to the Cabot 32. The safety had dropped back deep for a quick kick, leaving a huge hole in the middle of the field for the easy conversion.
Gatewood then hit Mason Love for 28 yards to the 4, and then went to Love again for the score to tie the game with 10:01 left in the third quarter.
Southside then had a chance to take the lead after stopping Cabot on downs. The Mavericks drove from their own 9-yard line to Cabot 34. John Wiens and Jansen Hubanks finally got some pressure on Gatewood, and he threw as he was being hit.
The pass was under thrown, and Zhane Harper picked it off at the 25-yard line. He returned it 31 yards, but an illegal block was called on Hubanks, and Cabot started at their own 38.
This time the Panthers barreled down the field, overcoming an 11-yard holding penalty when Rogers took the counter handoff 32 yards on second and 17 to the Southside 11. He went 9 yards on the same play and Oaks sneaked it in from there.
McCullough’s PAT made it 35-28 with 42 seconds to go in the third.
Cabot had a chance to put it away after stopping Southside’s next possession, but more penalties and a fumble made it third and 16, and Oaks threw an interception under pressure. That set up Southside’s fourth-quarter touchdown and missed extra point.
Both teams went over 500 yards of offense. Southside had 593 total yards to 520 for Cabot. Gatewood did it all for the Mavs. He completed 23 of 41 pass attempts for 359 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball 23 times for 182 yards and three more scores.
All of Cabot’s offense came on the ground. Rogers carried 17 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Morales carried 11 times for 169 yards and two scores. Sophomore Graham Turner added 70 yards on eight carries for the Panthers.
Cabot will travel to Conway next week. The Wampus Cats (3-2, 1-1) lost 24-14 at North Little Rock last night.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
SPORTS STORY >> End zone fumble dooms Bears
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Deon Youngblood gained more than 200 yards in rushes, pass completions, and kickoff returns and added three touchdowns and a two-point conversion to the score Friday night for the Sylvan Hills Bears, but it was his fumble on the 1-yard line in overtime that sealed the game for the Little Rock Christian Warriors.
The Bears hung tough in the game played on their own home turf, but came up short, 41-35.
“I’m proud of these kids,” said Bear coach Jim Withrow. “It was a tough loss, but we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the state. We just haven’t been able to catch a break, yet the kids keep playing hard. Something good is going to happen.”
The Bear defense gave the home team a chance to win in the fourth quarter by stopping the Warriors on the 45-yard line. The big play was a monster sack by Tim Board on a third-down play forcing a punt.
Sylvan Hills worked the ball to the Warriors’ 26-yard line with four seconds to go.
Tito Mendoza, who has a strong leg, tried to seal a win for the Bears with a 43-yard field goal try, but it fell just short, leading to overtime.
The Warriors won the toss and took three plays to score from the 10-yard line. The extra-point try missed, but a penalty gave them another try, and they missed again, leaving the door open for the Bears.
Taking their shot from the 10-yard line, the Bears pushed it to the 1-yard line on fourth down. Youngblood got the call, but a hard hit jarred the ball loose and it bounced aimlessly into the end zone surround by Warriors who pounced on it to end the game.
“We’ll reconvene on Monday and I don’t want to hear any ‘almost’ talk,” Withrow said.
It took LRCA (5-0) almost to the end of the first quarter to score, drawing first blood at the 1:32 mark even though Cole Bland, Kyle White and Brennan Shelton laid some heavy hits and tackles on the Warrior ball carriers.
It started to look like a rout when the Warriors scored four minutes into the second quarter behind the scrambling and passing of Jackson Bowersock.
Darius Waddell then intercepted an errant Bowersock pass and flew 70-yards for the score. Tito Mendoza added the extra point.
Midway through the third quarter, the Bears pushed the ball downfield from their own 3-yard line, taking nearly five minutes to score on a run by Youngblood. During the point-after kick, the Warriors were called for being offside, putting the ball just outside the one-yard line. The Bears decided to forego the tie and shoot for the lead with a 2-point conversion, but Youngblood couldn’t turn the corner.
Down by one, the Bears kicked off to the Warriors who ran and passed it down to the Bears’ 36-yard line. With fourth down and just inches to go, Garrett Gilbert came up big stopping Hill for no gain.
That sparked a drive by the Bears (3-2, 0-2) with Youngblood, quarterback Ryan Lumpkin and running back Ty Compton sharing run duties. It took two tries by Lumpkin, from the 1-yard line, but he broke the plane, putting the Bears up. This time the two-point conversion by Youngblood worked, and it was Bears 21, Warriors 14 with 1:20 to go in the quarter.
That lead only lasted 13 seconds as the Warriors, starting on their 40-yard line after a Bears pooch kick, hit a 60-yard touchdown pass. The third quarter ended with the teams knotted at 21.
But the Warriors wasted little time in the fourth quarter to jump out in front at the 9:38 mark behind another big, 47-yard pass play.
It was Sylvan Hills turn to strike back quickly. It only took about a minute for Lumpkin to hit Youngblood zipping down the sidelines for a 70-yard pass completion and touchdown. Another good extra point and the game was again tied.
But two plays later, it was the Warriors in the end zone again. This time behind a quarterback pitch to Trey Harris who rambled 52-yards for the score.
Like Heavyweights trading blows in the final rounds, the Bears punched back as Youngblood zig-zagged his way from the 40-yard line to the end zone. A Mendoza extra point locked things up at 35 to 35.
The Bears play Mills in Little Rock next Friday.
Leader staff writer
Deon Youngblood gained more than 200 yards in rushes, pass completions, and kickoff returns and added three touchdowns and a two-point conversion to the score Friday night for the Sylvan Hills Bears, but it was his fumble on the 1-yard line in overtime that sealed the game for the Little Rock Christian Warriors.
The Bears hung tough in the game played on their own home turf, but came up short, 41-35.
“I’m proud of these kids,” said Bear coach Jim Withrow. “It was a tough loss, but we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the state. We just haven’t been able to catch a break, yet the kids keep playing hard. Something good is going to happen.”
The Bear defense gave the home team a chance to win in the fourth quarter by stopping the Warriors on the 45-yard line. The big play was a monster sack by Tim Board on a third-down play forcing a punt.
Sylvan Hills worked the ball to the Warriors’ 26-yard line with four seconds to go.
Tito Mendoza, who has a strong leg, tried to seal a win for the Bears with a 43-yard field goal try, but it fell just short, leading to overtime.
The Warriors won the toss and took three plays to score from the 10-yard line. The extra-point try missed, but a penalty gave them another try, and they missed again, leaving the door open for the Bears.
Taking their shot from the 10-yard line, the Bears pushed it to the 1-yard line on fourth down. Youngblood got the call, but a hard hit jarred the ball loose and it bounced aimlessly into the end zone surround by Warriors who pounced on it to end the game.
“We’ll reconvene on Monday and I don’t want to hear any ‘almost’ talk,” Withrow said.
It took LRCA (5-0) almost to the end of the first quarter to score, drawing first blood at the 1:32 mark even though Cole Bland, Kyle White and Brennan Shelton laid some heavy hits and tackles on the Warrior ball carriers.
It started to look like a rout when the Warriors scored four minutes into the second quarter behind the scrambling and passing of Jackson Bowersock.
Darius Waddell then intercepted an errant Bowersock pass and flew 70-yards for the score. Tito Mendoza added the extra point.
Midway through the third quarter, the Bears pushed the ball downfield from their own 3-yard line, taking nearly five minutes to score on a run by Youngblood. During the point-after kick, the Warriors were called for being offside, putting the ball just outside the one-yard line. The Bears decided to forego the tie and shoot for the lead with a 2-point conversion, but Youngblood couldn’t turn the corner.
Down by one, the Bears kicked off to the Warriors who ran and passed it down to the Bears’ 36-yard line. With fourth down and just inches to go, Garrett Gilbert came up big stopping Hill for no gain.
That sparked a drive by the Bears (3-2, 0-2) with Youngblood, quarterback Ryan Lumpkin and running back Ty Compton sharing run duties. It took two tries by Lumpkin, from the 1-yard line, but he broke the plane, putting the Bears up. This time the two-point conversion by Youngblood worked, and it was Bears 21, Warriors 14 with 1:20 to go in the quarter.
That lead only lasted 13 seconds as the Warriors, starting on their 40-yard line after a Bears pooch kick, hit a 60-yard touchdown pass. The third quarter ended with the teams knotted at 21.
But the Warriors wasted little time in the fourth quarter to jump out in front at the 9:38 mark behind another big, 47-yard pass play.
It was Sylvan Hills turn to strike back quickly. It only took about a minute for Lumpkin to hit Youngblood zipping down the sidelines for a 70-yard pass completion and touchdown. Another good extra point and the game was again tied.
But two plays later, it was the Warriors in the end zone again. This time behind a quarterback pitch to Trey Harris who rambled 52-yards for the score.
Like Heavyweights trading blows in the final rounds, the Bears punched back as Youngblood zig-zagged his way from the 40-yard line to the end zone. A Mendoza extra point locked things up at 35 to 35.
The Bears play Mills in Little Rock next Friday.
SPORTS STORY >> JHS girls regroup to avoid collapse
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
After dominating game one, the Jacksonville volleyball team appeared to be on the brink of disaster Thursday against Parkview. But the team regrouped and the crisis was averted as the Lady Titans pulled off a 3-2 win with scores of 25-11, 24-26, 22-25, 25-15 and 15-13.
Assessing the team’s overall performance, Jacksonville coach Savannah Jacoby just said, “I’m glad they won. Before set four, I didn’t really do a whole lot of talking. I was really angry and frustrated. I didn’t really know what to say that I haven’t said before many times.
“But then they started saying to each other everything that I usually say. We’re not playing as a team right now. We’re playing as individuals. Keep your heads up. We can pull together. So that was the mindset for set four. It took a little while to get it in sync, but overall I was glad to see them come together like that.”
Jacksonville’s Blair Jones served an untouched ace to start the match, and that was a pretty good indicator of how the rest of game one would go. Parkview didn’t get a ball back across the net at all until the fourth point, and it was wide. Another ace made it 5-0 and Parkview had to call a quick timeout.
Jones served long after the break, but Chandee Wesley got a kill to break serve, and then served back-to-back aces for an 8-1 lead. A Federica Bossi kill made it 9-1 and the Lady Patriots had to use another timeout.
The lead grew to 14 at 21-17 before the two teams traded points to end game one. Sophomore Macaela Smith, who was recently promoted from the junior varsity squad, served her second ace, and the team’s eighth, to put a stamp on game one.
Game two ebbed and flowed with Jacksonville maintaining a lead, until a major ebb ended the game in shocking fashion.
Jacksonville jumped ahead 8-3 early before Parkview battled back to within 11-10. Parkview (6-9, 2-8) was called for a lift that made it 12-10 and Jones took serve again. She served back-to-back aces, and Parkview failed on four-straight serves to get the ball back across the net. Wesley got another kill, Parkview hit long twice and Jones served another ace to make it 20-10. Everything began to unravel at that point.
Still, Jacksonville had six set points to end game two after a Jones kill put the Lady Titans up 24-18, but they never scored again.
Jones hit long on the next point and Parkview’s Sydney Norris took serve. Morgan Peters got a kill and Jacoby called timeout at 24-20. Kyndall Hardiman then blocked a Brittney Eskridge hit. A service ace went backwards off Basia Brown, Smith’s set floated into the net, Jones got into the net, Peters got another kill and Norris bounced another ace off Brown to complete the unlikely and dramatic turnaround.
Jacksonville (7-12, 5-5) couldn’t recover the entire third game. For a brief moment things appeared to be turning for the better. Jacksonville took a 15-11 lead and Lindsey Holt took serve. Hardiman made a diving save to prevent an ace, and the ball floated over the net, where the Lady Titans looked at each other as the ball landed for a Parkview point.
The Patriots tied it when Jacksonville failed to take advantage of a free ball. Two hits set up nothing, and Wesley’s routine free ball hit the middle of the net. The Lady Titans never led again in game three.
Things continued to go poorly until the Lady Titans pulled it together midway through game four. Parkview led 11-7 and appeared on its way to the upset victory. Jacoby never called a timeout, but her players began to come together. Brown got a back-line kill to break serve. Aaliyah Burks got a kill, Bossi served an ace and Brown drilled another kill from the back row to tie game four.
Parkview called timeout and scored three straight after the break, but Jacksonville dominated from that point. After a net serve gave Holt the ball, kills by Wesley and Jones tied it up again at 14-14. Two unforced Parkview errors and an ace by Holt forced a Patriot timeout. Jones got another kill before a bad call drew Jacoby’s wrath, which caused a delay as she made her feelings known to the head official.
The tirade sparked her squad, and Parkview did not score again. Jones took serve at 19-15. She served three aces with another no return. Parkview was called for a lift and Wesley added a kill for the 25-15 win.
Both teams played nervously in the tiebreaker set. Very few points were won. Most were the result of errors by the opposition. Jacksonville did slightly better than Parkview, winning six of its 15 points. Eskridge got two kills. Smith, Bossi and Gulley served one ace apiece and Wesley blocked a hit by Alexandria Walton for another point.
Parkview led briefly at 1-0, but Jacksonville never led by more than two points. The matched ended anticlimactically. Bossi got into the net to make it 14-13, but Parkview was called for a lift to end the match.
Eskridge finished with a game-high nine kills while Wesley had seven and Jones five. Jones also served nine aces. Bossi and Smith had four aces apiece. Jacksonville had 24 aces as a team.
The Lady Titans will host Sheridan on Monday in a nonconference match, and travel to J.A. Fair on Tuesday to get back to 5A/6A District 4 play.
Leader sports editor
After dominating game one, the Jacksonville volleyball team appeared to be on the brink of disaster Thursday against Parkview. But the team regrouped and the crisis was averted as the Lady Titans pulled off a 3-2 win with scores of 25-11, 24-26, 22-25, 25-15 and 15-13.
Assessing the team’s overall performance, Jacksonville coach Savannah Jacoby just said, “I’m glad they won. Before set four, I didn’t really do a whole lot of talking. I was really angry and frustrated. I didn’t really know what to say that I haven’t said before many times.
“But then they started saying to each other everything that I usually say. We’re not playing as a team right now. We’re playing as individuals. Keep your heads up. We can pull together. So that was the mindset for set four. It took a little while to get it in sync, but overall I was glad to see them come together like that.”
Jacksonville’s Blair Jones served an untouched ace to start the match, and that was a pretty good indicator of how the rest of game one would go. Parkview didn’t get a ball back across the net at all until the fourth point, and it was wide. Another ace made it 5-0 and Parkview had to call a quick timeout.
Jones served long after the break, but Chandee Wesley got a kill to break serve, and then served back-to-back aces for an 8-1 lead. A Federica Bossi kill made it 9-1 and the Lady Patriots had to use another timeout.
The lead grew to 14 at 21-17 before the two teams traded points to end game one. Sophomore Macaela Smith, who was recently promoted from the junior varsity squad, served her second ace, and the team’s eighth, to put a stamp on game one.
Game two ebbed and flowed with Jacksonville maintaining a lead, until a major ebb ended the game in shocking fashion.
Jacksonville jumped ahead 8-3 early before Parkview battled back to within 11-10. Parkview (6-9, 2-8) was called for a lift that made it 12-10 and Jones took serve again. She served back-to-back aces, and Parkview failed on four-straight serves to get the ball back across the net. Wesley got another kill, Parkview hit long twice and Jones served another ace to make it 20-10. Everything began to unravel at that point.
Still, Jacksonville had six set points to end game two after a Jones kill put the Lady Titans up 24-18, but they never scored again.
Jones hit long on the next point and Parkview’s Sydney Norris took serve. Morgan Peters got a kill and Jacoby called timeout at 24-20. Kyndall Hardiman then blocked a Brittney Eskridge hit. A service ace went backwards off Basia Brown, Smith’s set floated into the net, Jones got into the net, Peters got another kill and Norris bounced another ace off Brown to complete the unlikely and dramatic turnaround.
Jacksonville (7-12, 5-5) couldn’t recover the entire third game. For a brief moment things appeared to be turning for the better. Jacksonville took a 15-11 lead and Lindsey Holt took serve. Hardiman made a diving save to prevent an ace, and the ball floated over the net, where the Lady Titans looked at each other as the ball landed for a Parkview point.
The Patriots tied it when Jacksonville failed to take advantage of a free ball. Two hits set up nothing, and Wesley’s routine free ball hit the middle of the net. The Lady Titans never led again in game three.
Things continued to go poorly until the Lady Titans pulled it together midway through game four. Parkview led 11-7 and appeared on its way to the upset victory. Jacoby never called a timeout, but her players began to come together. Brown got a back-line kill to break serve. Aaliyah Burks got a kill, Bossi served an ace and Brown drilled another kill from the back row to tie game four.
Parkview called timeout and scored three straight after the break, but Jacksonville dominated from that point. After a net serve gave Holt the ball, kills by Wesley and Jones tied it up again at 14-14. Two unforced Parkview errors and an ace by Holt forced a Patriot timeout. Jones got another kill before a bad call drew Jacoby’s wrath, which caused a delay as she made her feelings known to the head official.
The tirade sparked her squad, and Parkview did not score again. Jones took serve at 19-15. She served three aces with another no return. Parkview was called for a lift and Wesley added a kill for the 25-15 win.
Both teams played nervously in the tiebreaker set. Very few points were won. Most were the result of errors by the opposition. Jacksonville did slightly better than Parkview, winning six of its 15 points. Eskridge got two kills. Smith, Bossi and Gulley served one ace apiece and Wesley blocked a hit by Alexandria Walton for another point.
Parkview led briefly at 1-0, but Jacksonville never led by more than two points. The matched ended anticlimactically. Bossi got into the net to make it 14-13, but Parkview was called for a lift to end the match.
Eskridge finished with a game-high nine kills while Wesley had seven and Jones five. Jones also served nine aces. Bossi and Smith had four aces apiece. Jacksonville had 24 aces as a team.
The Lady Titans will host Sheridan on Monday in a nonconference match, and travel to J.A. Fair on Tuesday to get back to 5A/6A District 4 play.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
SPORTS STORY >> Titans focus on seizing moment
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Titans are coming off a good outing but a disappointing loss as they prepare to hit the road to take on the Jonesboro Hurricanes at 7 p.m. Friday.
Some would consider the Titans’ 35-20 loss to Searcy a moral victory. Prognosticators had said the Lions would be able to name their score against an overmatched Jacksonville team. It didn’t work out that way. The 15-point final margin was Searcy’s biggest lead of the game, and didn’t come until the last touchdown after Jacksonville had cut it 28-20 early in the fourth.
Jacksonville kept Searcy out of the end zone the entire first quarter, the first time any team had accomplished such a feat against a Lion team that was averaging 54 points per game entering the contest.
The Titans also held Division I quarterback prospect Mason Schucker to a season low of 191 yards passing. He was averaging more than 400 yards per game.
But Jacksonville wanted a victory, and didn’t take much to the moral-victory mantra.
“They were disappointed,” said Jacksonville coach Barry Hickingbotham about his players. “I think they were proud of their effort, and they should’ve been. They left it all out there. But they also left knowing they had some opportunities out there where it could really have been a different outcome. And that’s me included.
“I made some mistakes with the timeouts. We dropped two touchdown passes. We just have to finish. So I think it’s a situation where they gave each other a hand, said good effort, good job, but the job is not done.”
It doesn’t get any easier this week. Jonesboro is 3-1 with a victory over a team that beat Jacksonville. The Canes beat Catholic High 28-26 in Week 3. Catholic beat Jacksonville 34-17 in Week 2. Jonesboro’s only loss is to 7A Conway.
Jonesboro rolled Jacksonville 57-21 last season at Jan Crow Stadium. That team featured two major-college prospects at wide receiver. This team doesn’t have that kind of talent out wide, but there are some playmakers, and the defense is better, according to Hickingbotham.
“They have a running back like Searcy has, except I think this guy (junior Daniel Johnson) is a little thicker,” Hickingbotham said. “I don’t think they have the explosiveness they had last year at receiver, but they have a bunch of guys catching the ball. You’re going to have to account for everybody because anybody could get it. And they’re running a two-headed monster at you at quarterback. So they give you a lot to have to prepare for.”
Seniors Tyson Williams and A.J. Aycock are sharing time at quarterback for Jonesboro, but it’s not a situation where one is primarily a passer and the other a runner. Either could run any play. In last week’s 42-7 win over Mountain Home, Williams attempted six passes and Aycock threw 10, while Williams carried five times and Aycock six. Both played limited duty because the mercy rule was invoked early in the third quarter and the starters took a seat. But ratios were similar in the close game with Catholic.
Williams competed 7 of 14 pass attempts for 113 yards, and carried four times for 14 yards. Aycock completed 10 of 18 attempts for 112 yards, and also had four carries for 4 yards.
Johnson isn’t the only capable running back for Jonesboro either. He leads the team in average, but senior Ji’marcus Bibbs has two 100-yard games also. Against Batesville, Johnson carried 19 times for 210 yards, while Bibbs had 13 carries for 152.
Johnson and Bibbs both went over the 100-yard mark against Catholic as well, with Bibbs leading the way. The senior had 21 carries for 179 yards, while Johnson 16 for 100.
The Canes have talent on defense as well, especially up front. Jacksonville’s offense showed drastic improvement from the Sylvan Hills game, where it had 92 total yards and three points, to Searcy, but the Lions didn’t have the line that Jonesboro has.
“They have a defensive end that’s about 6-foot-6, 270 pounds and he’s an animal,” Hickingbotham said. “They have a tackle about 6-1, 6-2, 300 pounds that ate Catholic alive. That’s going to be a big test for us because we’re always in that numbers game.
“We’re at a disadvantage each and every week in 6A with our numbers. So we have to rotate a lot of guys and work hard to keep people fresh. We’re going to focus a lot on conditioning this week because I think that played a role in wearing down last week.
“We’re trying to get in there and win one of these we’re not supposed to win. We gave ourselves that chance last week. We want to have a chance to win in the fourth quarter and we gave ourselves that, we just didn’t finish. We going up there and we’re going to try to do better and get one this week.”
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Titans are coming off a good outing but a disappointing loss as they prepare to hit the road to take on the Jonesboro Hurricanes at 7 p.m. Friday.
Some would consider the Titans’ 35-20 loss to Searcy a moral victory. Prognosticators had said the Lions would be able to name their score against an overmatched Jacksonville team. It didn’t work out that way. The 15-point final margin was Searcy’s biggest lead of the game, and didn’t come until the last touchdown after Jacksonville had cut it 28-20 early in the fourth.
Jacksonville kept Searcy out of the end zone the entire first quarter, the first time any team had accomplished such a feat against a Lion team that was averaging 54 points per game entering the contest.
The Titans also held Division I quarterback prospect Mason Schucker to a season low of 191 yards passing. He was averaging more than 400 yards per game.
But Jacksonville wanted a victory, and didn’t take much to the moral-victory mantra.
“They were disappointed,” said Jacksonville coach Barry Hickingbotham about his players. “I think they were proud of their effort, and they should’ve been. They left it all out there. But they also left knowing they had some opportunities out there where it could really have been a different outcome. And that’s me included.
“I made some mistakes with the timeouts. We dropped two touchdown passes. We just have to finish. So I think it’s a situation where they gave each other a hand, said good effort, good job, but the job is not done.”
It doesn’t get any easier this week. Jonesboro is 3-1 with a victory over a team that beat Jacksonville. The Canes beat Catholic High 28-26 in Week 3. Catholic beat Jacksonville 34-17 in Week 2. Jonesboro’s only loss is to 7A Conway.
Jonesboro rolled Jacksonville 57-21 last season at Jan Crow Stadium. That team featured two major-college prospects at wide receiver. This team doesn’t have that kind of talent out wide, but there are some playmakers, and the defense is better, according to Hickingbotham.
“They have a running back like Searcy has, except I think this guy (junior Daniel Johnson) is a little thicker,” Hickingbotham said. “I don’t think they have the explosiveness they had last year at receiver, but they have a bunch of guys catching the ball. You’re going to have to account for everybody because anybody could get it. And they’re running a two-headed monster at you at quarterback. So they give you a lot to have to prepare for.”
Seniors Tyson Williams and A.J. Aycock are sharing time at quarterback for Jonesboro, but it’s not a situation where one is primarily a passer and the other a runner. Either could run any play. In last week’s 42-7 win over Mountain Home, Williams attempted six passes and Aycock threw 10, while Williams carried five times and Aycock six. Both played limited duty because the mercy rule was invoked early in the third quarter and the starters took a seat. But ratios were similar in the close game with Catholic.
Williams competed 7 of 14 pass attempts for 113 yards, and carried four times for 14 yards. Aycock completed 10 of 18 attempts for 112 yards, and also had four carries for 4 yards.
Johnson isn’t the only capable running back for Jonesboro either. He leads the team in average, but senior Ji’marcus Bibbs has two 100-yard games also. Against Batesville, Johnson carried 19 times for 210 yards, while Bibbs had 13 carries for 152.
Johnson and Bibbs both went over the 100-yard mark against Catholic as well, with Bibbs leading the way. The senior had 21 carries for 179 yards, while Johnson 16 for 100.
The Canes have talent on defense as well, especially up front. Jacksonville’s offense showed drastic improvement from the Sylvan Hills game, where it had 92 total yards and three points, to Searcy, but the Lions didn’t have the line that Jonesboro has.
“They have a defensive end that’s about 6-foot-6, 270 pounds and he’s an animal,” Hickingbotham said. “They have a tackle about 6-1, 6-2, 300 pounds that ate Catholic alive. That’s going to be a big test for us because we’re always in that numbers game.
“We’re at a disadvantage each and every week in 6A with our numbers. So we have to rotate a lot of guys and work hard to keep people fresh. We’re going to focus a lot on conditioning this week because I think that played a role in wearing down last week.
“We’re trying to get in there and win one of these we’re not supposed to win. We gave ourselves that chance last week. We want to have a chance to win in the fourth quarter and we gave ourselves that, we just didn’t finish. We going up there and we’re going to try to do better and get one this week.”
SPORTS STORY >> Lady Rabbits sweep ’Stangs
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Blended conferences cause a lot of confusion, but it was important for Lonoke to not only avenge its season-opening loss to Central Arkansas Christian on Monday, the Lady Jackrabbits needed a sweep. That’s exactly what they got, trailing only briefly throughout the entire match, Lonoke beat the host Lady Mustangs by scores of 25-16, 26-24 and 25-19 in North Little Rock.
Lonoke is in blended District 9, while CAC is blended District 8, but the two teams will converge for the 4A-Central Conference tournament when the postseason rolls around in a couple of weeks. CAC had beaten Lonoke 3-1 back on Aug. 24.
Lonoke’s sweep on Monday gives the Lady Jackrabbits the advantage when 4A-Central coaches convene to discuss how to seed a conference tournament with teams from four different blended districts.
Lonoke’s blended district doesn’t include another team above the 2A classification, and competition there has been easy as they have rolled up a 6-0 record and won all 18 sets by wide margins.
Monday’s match wasn’t that easy, but Lonoke only trailed for a brief moment in game two. When Keiunna Walker’s kill attempt sailed long, CAC led 3-2. Lonoke then scored the next four points in a row, and never trailed again. CAC did come back and tie game two at 24. A Kennedy White tip kill gave Lonoke match point with Walker at the service line. She dialed up a big sinking serve that landed in the middle of the CAC defense for a set-winning ace.
A key strength for the Lady Jackrabbits this season has been depth, and it was needed on Monday. Middle blocker Maddie Pool went down with an ankle injury late in game three.
Junior Hope Newkirk entered the game for the first time with Lonoke clinging to an 18-16 lead after scoring the first five points of the set. She finished things off with a match-point kill right down the middle of the court, landing just inside the boundary.
“She stepped right in and held her own,” said Lonoke coach Laura Park. “That being said, this was another total team effort. The goal is to try to get better each game and peak in the postseason. It’s hard to tell if you’re getting better in our blended conference. But you get better playing teams like CAC, and I think we showed improvement tonight.”
Lonoke (12-4-1, 6-0) grabbed a 3-1 lead early in game one, and that score toggled between a one and two-point margin for a long time. Lonoke finally put some distance between itself and CAC (13-4, 4-1) when Pool served three-straight points, including an ace, that made it 11-7. Walker and Gracie Mason later served up aces that helped the Lady Rabbits stretch the margin to as much as 19-12.
Pool took serve again after a White kill put Lonoke up 21-16, and she served out the set, including one more ace for good measure for Lonoke’s 24th point.
Lonoke’s biggest lead in the hotly contested second game was four points. The Lady Jackrabbits led 11-7, 15-11 and 20-16 before CAC mounted a comeback. The Lady Mustangs first tied it at 21 with a 5-1 run that forced Park to call a timeout. Only one of CAC’s five points in the run were the result of a kill. The other four were all Lonoke errors.
After the break, Lonoke junior Emily Armstrong got a kill from the right side that broke the CAC streak. She then took serve and sent CAC’s back line diving to save an ace. Lady Mustang Faith Elder made the save, but the ball floated just over to Lonoke’s side of the net, where Pool made an easy dunk over the net for a 23-21 lead. The next serve was wide, and CAC tied it on a kill by Bailey Jones. They traded points to 24 before White’s kill and Walker’s ace gave Lonoke the win.
The Mustangs battled back from Lonoke’s fast start in game three, and trailed just 18-16 when Pool went down. Before Newkirk came through with the kill on match point, Kayla Shelton got three kills to help extend Lonoke’s lead back to 22-17. Kills by Walker and Armstrong on Shelton’s serve made it 24-17 before Newkirk sealed the match.
Lonoke’s depth at hitter shows in the stats. Five different players had at least five kills. Walker led the way with nine. Shelton and Pool finished with seven each while Armstrong and White had five apiece.
Jones led all players with 11 kills for CAC. Brittney Perry had seven and Cicely young six.
Over the weekend, Lonoke also defeated CAC in its own one-day tournament at the Gina Cox Center. Neither team was at full strength for the event, but Lonoke won the tournament, which included Sylvan Hills, Palestine-Wheatley, Helena-West Helena Central and the Little Rock Flames home-school team.
Leader sports editor
Blended conferences cause a lot of confusion, but it was important for Lonoke to not only avenge its season-opening loss to Central Arkansas Christian on Monday, the Lady Jackrabbits needed a sweep. That’s exactly what they got, trailing only briefly throughout the entire match, Lonoke beat the host Lady Mustangs by scores of 25-16, 26-24 and 25-19 in North Little Rock.
Lonoke is in blended District 9, while CAC is blended District 8, but the two teams will converge for the 4A-Central Conference tournament when the postseason rolls around in a couple of weeks. CAC had beaten Lonoke 3-1 back on Aug. 24.
Lonoke’s sweep on Monday gives the Lady Jackrabbits the advantage when 4A-Central coaches convene to discuss how to seed a conference tournament with teams from four different blended districts.
Lonoke’s blended district doesn’t include another team above the 2A classification, and competition there has been easy as they have rolled up a 6-0 record and won all 18 sets by wide margins.
Monday’s match wasn’t that easy, but Lonoke only trailed for a brief moment in game two. When Keiunna Walker’s kill attempt sailed long, CAC led 3-2. Lonoke then scored the next four points in a row, and never trailed again. CAC did come back and tie game two at 24. A Kennedy White tip kill gave Lonoke match point with Walker at the service line. She dialed up a big sinking serve that landed in the middle of the CAC defense for a set-winning ace.
A key strength for the Lady Jackrabbits this season has been depth, and it was needed on Monday. Middle blocker Maddie Pool went down with an ankle injury late in game three.
Junior Hope Newkirk entered the game for the first time with Lonoke clinging to an 18-16 lead after scoring the first five points of the set. She finished things off with a match-point kill right down the middle of the court, landing just inside the boundary.
“She stepped right in and held her own,” said Lonoke coach Laura Park. “That being said, this was another total team effort. The goal is to try to get better each game and peak in the postseason. It’s hard to tell if you’re getting better in our blended conference. But you get better playing teams like CAC, and I think we showed improvement tonight.”
Lonoke (12-4-1, 6-0) grabbed a 3-1 lead early in game one, and that score toggled between a one and two-point margin for a long time. Lonoke finally put some distance between itself and CAC (13-4, 4-1) when Pool served three-straight points, including an ace, that made it 11-7. Walker and Gracie Mason later served up aces that helped the Lady Rabbits stretch the margin to as much as 19-12.
Pool took serve again after a White kill put Lonoke up 21-16, and she served out the set, including one more ace for good measure for Lonoke’s 24th point.
Lonoke’s biggest lead in the hotly contested second game was four points. The Lady Jackrabbits led 11-7, 15-11 and 20-16 before CAC mounted a comeback. The Lady Mustangs first tied it at 21 with a 5-1 run that forced Park to call a timeout. Only one of CAC’s five points in the run were the result of a kill. The other four were all Lonoke errors.
After the break, Lonoke junior Emily Armstrong got a kill from the right side that broke the CAC streak. She then took serve and sent CAC’s back line diving to save an ace. Lady Mustang Faith Elder made the save, but the ball floated just over to Lonoke’s side of the net, where Pool made an easy dunk over the net for a 23-21 lead. The next serve was wide, and CAC tied it on a kill by Bailey Jones. They traded points to 24 before White’s kill and Walker’s ace gave Lonoke the win.
The Mustangs battled back from Lonoke’s fast start in game three, and trailed just 18-16 when Pool went down. Before Newkirk came through with the kill on match point, Kayla Shelton got three kills to help extend Lonoke’s lead back to 22-17. Kills by Walker and Armstrong on Shelton’s serve made it 24-17 before Newkirk sealed the match.
Lonoke’s depth at hitter shows in the stats. Five different players had at least five kills. Walker led the way with nine. Shelton and Pool finished with seven each while Armstrong and White had five apiece.
Jones led all players with 11 kills for CAC. Brittney Perry had seven and Cicely young six.
Over the weekend, Lonoke also defeated CAC in its own one-day tournament at the Gina Cox Center. Neither team was at full strength for the event, but Lonoke won the tournament, which included Sylvan Hills, Palestine-Wheatley, Helena-West Helena Central and the Little Rock Flames home-school team.
SPORTS STORY >> Maverick offense is on target
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot defense continues to perform well, and it continues to face stronger and stronger challenges. That trend continues this week as the Panthers face Fort Smith Southside, which has scored at least 35 points in three of its four games. The Mavericks are only 1-3, and have suffered an inexplicable 49-0 loss to Greenwood, but they’ve lost a pair of shootouts, one to Springdale Har-Ber and the other last week to Conway, and hammered Rogers-Heritage 50-17 in Week 3.
Southside was without starting quarterback Taye Gatewood against Greenwood, and that appeared to be a key to the lack of production. With Gatewood out, Southside threw the ball just five times, completing three for 35 yards, and managed just 122 total yards of offense.
There were no statistics available for the game against Heritage, but against Har-Ber and Conway, Gatewood was the playmaker. Against Har-Ber, he completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 351 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran nine times for 42 yards and two scores.
Against Conway, Gatewood completed a remarkable 18 of 21 pass attempts for 337 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 19 times for 115 yards and three more scores.
“They’ve scored some points,” said Cabot coach Mike Malham. “Hopefully our defense can keep playing well. I think we’re getting better each week. I thought we got better last Friday as the game went on. They came out and used up half the first quarter and scored on us, but they didn’t have another one like that. But this is a different challenge and it don’t get any easier.”
Cabot and Southside built a nice long-distance rivalry in the early 2000s. The two teams met in the state championship twice, each going 1-1. It’s been a rekindled rivalry since just before becoming conference mates. In 2015, the Panthers were 10-0 7A-Central champions with any eye on another run to the title game, but Southside came to Panther stadium and ruined those plans in the second round of the playoffs.
Last year, Cabot’s goal line stand as time expired at Southside played a huge role in keeping the Mavericks out of the playoffs.
“They’re a good program and it’s always a dog fight with us and them,” Malham said.
Cabot will continue to be without two key starters, one on each side of the ball. Fullback Adam Flores and Division I defensive line prospect Dayonte Roberts missed last week’s game, and both will be out at least two more.
Flores’ backup, junior Bradley Morales, had a great outing against Catholic after moving from halfback to fullback. He had 14 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard touchdown run that answered the Rockets’ long opening drive.
“He’s not as big and strong as Flores but he’s got some speed,” Malham said. “He showed that when he got loose and they couldn’t catch him. Of course little T.J. had a great night. He’s so quick, he’s just tough to get a hold of in the open field.”
A pair of sophomores, Hunter Horka and Hayden Matthews, filled in for Roberts, and did well.
“The two sophomores are coming around,” Malham said. “And another sophomore, Logan Bell, is playing at the defensive end. Those guys have been good so far to be so green. Hopefully they’ll keep getting better. They’re getting a chance right now and they’re contributing.”
And the game plan, at least offensively, is the same as always.
“They’re capable so we got to get ready to play,” Malham said. “Last year we went to the wire and got lucky. (Southside fumbled the pitch on the last play from 1 yard out.) If we can’t move the ball and hang onto it, it’s going to be a long night. There are no gimmies in this conference. We just have to try to do what we do best. Hold the ball, keep our defense on the sideline rested, and keep their offense on the sideline dying of old age.”
Leader sports editor
The Cabot defense continues to perform well, and it continues to face stronger and stronger challenges. That trend continues this week as the Panthers face Fort Smith Southside, which has scored at least 35 points in three of its four games. The Mavericks are only 1-3, and have suffered an inexplicable 49-0 loss to Greenwood, but they’ve lost a pair of shootouts, one to Springdale Har-Ber and the other last week to Conway, and hammered Rogers-Heritage 50-17 in Week 3.
Southside was without starting quarterback Taye Gatewood against Greenwood, and that appeared to be a key to the lack of production. With Gatewood out, Southside threw the ball just five times, completing three for 35 yards, and managed just 122 total yards of offense.
There were no statistics available for the game against Heritage, but against Har-Ber and Conway, Gatewood was the playmaker. Against Har-Ber, he completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 351 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran nine times for 42 yards and two scores.
Against Conway, Gatewood completed a remarkable 18 of 21 pass attempts for 337 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 19 times for 115 yards and three more scores.
“They’ve scored some points,” said Cabot coach Mike Malham. “Hopefully our defense can keep playing well. I think we’re getting better each week. I thought we got better last Friday as the game went on. They came out and used up half the first quarter and scored on us, but they didn’t have another one like that. But this is a different challenge and it don’t get any easier.”
Cabot and Southside built a nice long-distance rivalry in the early 2000s. The two teams met in the state championship twice, each going 1-1. It’s been a rekindled rivalry since just before becoming conference mates. In 2015, the Panthers were 10-0 7A-Central champions with any eye on another run to the title game, but Southside came to Panther stadium and ruined those plans in the second round of the playoffs.
Last year, Cabot’s goal line stand as time expired at Southside played a huge role in keeping the Mavericks out of the playoffs.
“They’re a good program and it’s always a dog fight with us and them,” Malham said.
Cabot will continue to be without two key starters, one on each side of the ball. Fullback Adam Flores and Division I defensive line prospect Dayonte Roberts missed last week’s game, and both will be out at least two more.
Flores’ backup, junior Bradley Morales, had a great outing against Catholic after moving from halfback to fullback. He had 14 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard touchdown run that answered the Rockets’ long opening drive.
“He’s not as big and strong as Flores but he’s got some speed,” Malham said. “He showed that when he got loose and they couldn’t catch him. Of course little T.J. had a great night. He’s so quick, he’s just tough to get a hold of in the open field.”
A pair of sophomores, Hunter Horka and Hayden Matthews, filled in for Roberts, and did well.
“The two sophomores are coming around,” Malham said. “And another sophomore, Logan Bell, is playing at the defensive end. Those guys have been good so far to be so green. Hopefully they’ll keep getting better. They’re getting a chance right now and they’re contributing.”
And the game plan, at least offensively, is the same as always.
“They’re capable so we got to get ready to play,” Malham said. “Last year we went to the wire and got lucky. (Southside fumbled the pitch on the last play from 1 yard out.) If we can’t move the ball and hang onto it, it’s going to be a long night. There are no gimmies in this conference. We just have to try to do what we do best. Hold the ball, keep our defense on the sideline rested, and keep their offense on the sideline dying of old age.”
EDITORIAL >> Jerry Jones on his knee
That was a dramatic gesture when the visiting Dallas Cowboys and their owner Jerry Jones knelt down with his players and then stood up with their arms locked Monday night before their game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Jones, who was raised in the Rose City community in North Little Rock, was expected to urge his team not to join protests that are spreading across the NFL. He was, after all, a major supporter of Donald Trump and gave his inaugural committee $1 million.
The fans booed the Cowboys, but the billionaire owner of America’s Team felt he had to take a stand without disrespecting the flag. Everyone stood during the playing of the national anthem, but Jones and the Cowboys sent a powerful message to the president: No player should be called names and everyone must have the right to speak and act their conscience on and off the field.
Jones, who was raised in the Rose City community in North Little Rock, was expected to urge his team not to join protests that are spreading across the NFL. He was, after all, a major supporter of Donald Trump and gave his inaugural committee $1 million.
The fans booed the Cowboys, but the billionaire owner of America’s Team felt he had to take a stand without disrespecting the flag. Everyone stood during the playing of the national anthem, but Jones and the Cowboys sent a powerful message to the president: No player should be called names and everyone must have the right to speak and act their conscience on and off the field.
EDITORIAL >> Fall festivals coming up
Fall festival season kicks off Saturday when Jacksonville holds its fifth annual Festiville at Dupree Park and Sherwood hosts its 41st annual Sherwood Fest at Sherwood Forest off Maryland Avenue.
Both events will have plenty of live entertainment, family fun, games, festival food, carnival rides and more. For a full schedule, see page 1A.
Ukulele Bill, who performs at 10 a.m. in Sherwood, will give away three ukuleles.
The Sherwood Rotary Club will hold a 5K at 8 a.m. and a family walk at 9 a.m.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will hold a castle-building contest until 2 p.m., and there will even be a Robin Hood-style archery contest at 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville’s Festiville, formerly known as Wing Ding, which was formerly known as Cityfest and Muscadine Days in an earlier day, will open on Thursday with a carnival. Saturday has lots of live music and local performers.
CabotFest will be held downtown Saturday, Oct. 14.
The Cabot Lions Club will hold its annual pancake breakfast that kicks off the festival from 6 a.m. till 10 a.m. Oct. 14 in the Cabot First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
The Beebe Arts and Crafts Fair, previously known as Beebe Fall Festival, will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Beebe Ball Park.
Ward Harvest Fest will be held from 6 till 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 at the chamber, 80 W. Second St.
So get out to the festivals this weekend and in the weeks ahead. Greet your neighbors and have a funnel cake and lots of fun. See you there.
Both events will have plenty of live entertainment, family fun, games, festival food, carnival rides and more. For a full schedule, see page 1A.
Ukulele Bill, who performs at 10 a.m. in Sherwood, will give away three ukuleles.
The Sherwood Rotary Club will hold a 5K at 8 a.m. and a family walk at 9 a.m.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will hold a castle-building contest until 2 p.m., and there will even be a Robin Hood-style archery contest at 10:30 a.m.
Jacksonville’s Festiville, formerly known as Wing Ding, which was formerly known as Cityfest and Muscadine Days in an earlier day, will open on Thursday with a carnival. Saturday has lots of live music and local performers.
CabotFest will be held downtown Saturday, Oct. 14.
The Cabot Lions Club will hold its annual pancake breakfast that kicks off the festival from 6 a.m. till 10 a.m. Oct. 14 in the Cabot First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
The Beebe Arts and Crafts Fair, previously known as Beebe Fall Festival, will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Beebe Ball Park.
Ward Harvest Fest will be held from 6 till 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 at the chamber, 80 W. Second St.
So get out to the festivals this weekend and in the weeks ahead. Greet your neighbors and have a funnel cake and lots of fun. See you there.
TOP STORY >> Jacksonville VFW turns 50
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
The Jacksonville VFW Post 4548 will celebrate its 50th year on Thursday.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars post began meeting at Little Rock Air Force Base in an old decommissioned bunker. It was chartered in 1967.
The VFW post moved to a brick building across the street from its current building in 1981 across the street at 6704 Old Hwy. 67. It is open from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
It was later was renamed to honor Michael W. Ray, a Cabot soldier who died in May 1970 during his second tour in Vietnam. Ray was awarded the Bronze Star.
Jacksonville VFW Post commander Michael Ritchey said the VFW offers services to veterans, active duty military and their families. The Jacksonville VFW has 825 members of those 575 are lifetime members.
The post has a bar but has grown to be more family friendly with the addition of pond for fishing derbies, a pavilion for picnics and a smoke house for barbecues. It has dinners and live musicians.
The post has a VFW Auxiliary and a motorcycle riders group.
“They do a lot of outreach for our veterans and the community when needed on behalf of the VFW. We build wheelchair ramps for veterans. The auxiliary makes hospital visits, promotes local school scholarship programs and patriotism,” Ritchey said.
The VFW informs veterans of services and benefits. The state chairman lobbies legislation on VA benefits, improving the VA system and helping veterans with retirement tax exemptions.
The Jacksonville post has an annual Thanksgiving dinner for senior citizens in the community. The motorcycle groups rides with the annual Toys for Tots ride.
“We do holiday baskets for those in need. We sell Buddy Poppies to raise money for disabled veterans,” Ritchey said.
The Jacksonville VFW also holds charity bingo games from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and from 4 to 8 p.m. Sundays. Ritchey said it helps provide income to support charitable donations in the community.
“We are looking for new veterans who served overseas. You don’t have to be an active member just being a dues card holder helps the VFW. They are a voice the state commander can lobby on behalf of,” Ritchey said.
Leader staff writer
The Jacksonville VFW Post 4548 will celebrate its 50th year on Thursday.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars post began meeting at Little Rock Air Force Base in an old decommissioned bunker. It was chartered in 1967.
The VFW post moved to a brick building across the street from its current building in 1981 across the street at 6704 Old Hwy. 67. It is open from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
It was later was renamed to honor Michael W. Ray, a Cabot soldier who died in May 1970 during his second tour in Vietnam. Ray was awarded the Bronze Star.
Jacksonville VFW Post commander Michael Ritchey said the VFW offers services to veterans, active duty military and their families. The Jacksonville VFW has 825 members of those 575 are lifetime members.
The post has a bar but has grown to be more family friendly with the addition of pond for fishing derbies, a pavilion for picnics and a smoke house for barbecues. It has dinners and live musicians.
The post has a VFW Auxiliary and a motorcycle riders group.
“They do a lot of outreach for our veterans and the community when needed on behalf of the VFW. We build wheelchair ramps for veterans. The auxiliary makes hospital visits, promotes local school scholarship programs and patriotism,” Ritchey said.
The VFW informs veterans of services and benefits. The state chairman lobbies legislation on VA benefits, improving the VA system and helping veterans with retirement tax exemptions.
The Jacksonville post has an annual Thanksgiving dinner for senior citizens in the community. The motorcycle groups rides with the annual Toys for Tots ride.
“We do holiday baskets for those in need. We sell Buddy Poppies to raise money for disabled veterans,” Ritchey said.
The Jacksonville VFW also holds charity bingo games from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and from 4 to 8 p.m. Sundays. Ritchey said it helps provide income to support charitable donations in the community.
“We are looking for new veterans who served overseas. You don’t have to be an active member just being a dues card holder helps the VFW. They are a voice the state commander can lobby on behalf of,” Ritchey said.
TOP STORY >> 5th annual FestiVille
Jacksonville’s fifth-annual FestiVille of music, food and fun is Friday and Saturday at Dupree Park. Admission and parking is free. Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
The carnival runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Armbands for rides are available for $20 from 3 till 10 p.m. Thursday and for $20 from 5 till 10 p.m. Friday.
“New for this year are shooting demonstrations by Arkansas Game and Fish Shooting Sports Complex instructors,” FestiVille organizer Dana Rozenski said.
Performing on Friday at the Pavilion Stage are Drums Alive from 3 to 4 p.m. Lighthouse Charter School from 4 to 5 p.m. Craig Anthony from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. and Chris Crawford from 6 to 6:50 p.m.
At the A&P Stage are American Lions from 4 to 4:45 p.m. The Guilty from 5 to 5:45 p.m. and The Rowdy from 6 to 6:45 p.m.
Movies in the Park will show “Sing” at 7 p.m. Friday on Field 4.
FestiVille has 50 vendor booths. Food vendors are Kona Ice, W and M Concessions, ReggaeFlavas, Marie’s BBQ and Catering Services and Boss Hog Barbecue.
Saturday will have a 5K run, a “Grill in the Ville” barbecue contest cooking pork shoulders and ribs. An Arkansas Street Machines car show from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Car entry is $25. Volleyball tournament registration is at 8:30 a.m. and games start at 9 a.m. Entry is $10 per player.
The fire department will hold the finals of the elementary schools kids’ obstacle course. FestiVille will have a rock climbing wall, canoe and kayak rides, a kids area and a petting zoo.
Saturday is a full day of performances. At the Pavilion Stage are Dogtown Ukulele Band from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Carla’s Dance from 10:30 to 10:45 a.m. Limelight Performance Academy at 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. Huff N Puff from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jacksonville High School cheerleaders from 1 to 1:15 p.m. Sharon’s Dance Studio from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dance FX from 2:45 to 3 p.m. Divine Pearls of Jacksonville from 3:15 to 3:30 p.m. Vocal Jazz from 4 to 5 p.m. and New Livin’ Quartet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
On the A&P Stage are Six Ways from Sunday at 11 to 11:45 a.m. The Cliff Hudson Band from noon to 12:45 p.m. Critical Mass from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Stays in Vegas from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Danny C from 3 to 3:45 p.m. The Kolton Thomas Band from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Sol Def Band from 5 to 6 p.m. Bree Ogden from 6 to 7 p.m. and Eddie and the Defiantz from 7 to 7:45 p.m.
The carnival runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Armbands for rides are available for $20 from 3 till 10 p.m. Thursday and for $20 from 5 till 10 p.m. Friday.
“New for this year are shooting demonstrations by Arkansas Game and Fish Shooting Sports Complex instructors,” FestiVille organizer Dana Rozenski said.
Performing on Friday at the Pavilion Stage are Drums Alive from 3 to 4 p.m. Lighthouse Charter School from 4 to 5 p.m. Craig Anthony from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. and Chris Crawford from 6 to 6:50 p.m.
At the A&P Stage are American Lions from 4 to 4:45 p.m. The Guilty from 5 to 5:45 p.m. and The Rowdy from 6 to 6:45 p.m.
Movies in the Park will show “Sing” at 7 p.m. Friday on Field 4.
FestiVille has 50 vendor booths. Food vendors are Kona Ice, W and M Concessions, ReggaeFlavas, Marie’s BBQ and Catering Services and Boss Hog Barbecue.
Saturday will have a 5K run, a “Grill in the Ville” barbecue contest cooking pork shoulders and ribs. An Arkansas Street Machines car show from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Car entry is $25. Volleyball tournament registration is at 8:30 a.m. and games start at 9 a.m. Entry is $10 per player.
The fire department will hold the finals of the elementary schools kids’ obstacle course. FestiVille will have a rock climbing wall, canoe and kayak rides, a kids area and a petting zoo.
Saturday is a full day of performances. At the Pavilion Stage are Dogtown Ukulele Band from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Carla’s Dance from 10:30 to 10:45 a.m. Limelight Performance Academy at 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. Huff N Puff from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jacksonville High School cheerleaders from 1 to 1:15 p.m. Sharon’s Dance Studio from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dance FX from 2:45 to 3 p.m. Divine Pearls of Jacksonville from 3:15 to 3:30 p.m. Vocal Jazz from 4 to 5 p.m. and New Livin’ Quartet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
On the A&P Stage are Six Ways from Sunday at 11 to 11:45 a.m. The Cliff Hudson Band from noon to 12:45 p.m. Critical Mass from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Stays in Vegas from 2 to 2:45 p.m. Danny C from 3 to 3:45 p.m. The Kolton Thomas Band from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Sol Def Band from 5 to 6 p.m. Bree Ogden from 6 to 7 p.m. and Eddie and the Defiantz from 7 to 7:45 p.m.
TOP STORY >> 41st Sherwood Fest
Sherwood Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Sherwood Forest, 1111 W. Maryland Ave. Admission and parking are free.
More than 4,000 people are expected to attend the 41st annual event.
The entertainment schedule includes many local musicians and performers including at 10 a.m. Ukulele Bill, 11 a.m. Impact Gymnastics, 11:30 a.m. Annie Zimmerman, 11:45 a.m. Magician Rocky Clements, 12:30 p.m. Dance FX, 12:45 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts, 1 p.m. Alexandra Powell, 1:15 p.m. Limelight Performance Academy, 1:30 p.m. Sharecroppers, 2:30 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts, 3 p.m. Cheer Time Revolution, 3:15 p.m. Brian and Terri Kinder, 4:15 p.m. Ms. Karen’s Dance Studio, 4:30 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts, 4:45 p.m. Marissa and Jacq’s Dancers, 5 p.m. Allie Keene, 5:15 p.m. Jax Gym Trampoline and Tumbling, 5:30 p.m. Caleb Allen and 5:45 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts.
Ukulele Bill will give away three ukuleles during his show.
Three contests are returning to the event this year, including the Sherwood Rotary Club’s Conquerthe Climb 5K Fun Run and 1K Family Walk/Run, Keep Sherwood Beautiful’s Castle-Building Contest and Archery.
The 5K will begin at 8 a.m. at Sherwood Forest. After the 5K there will be a 1K family run/walk, which will begin around 9 a.m. Strollers and people-friendly pets with current tags are welcome.
Register online at webscorer.com. Sept. 27 is the deadline to guarantee a race T-shirt. Proceeds will support the Sherwood Rotary’s scholarships and youth programs.
The 5K registration fee is $15 for ages 18 and under or $25 for ages 19 and up.
The 1K Family Walk/Run is $10 per person. For more information about the races, email sherwoodfest5k@gmail.com or visit www.webscorer.com.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will register teams of up to four people for the Castle-Building Contest at the information booth until 2 p.m. The group will provide recycled materials for participants to build a castle and requests that participants only use what the organization provides to be fair to all teams.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will judge the castles and award trophies to the best three. The contest is open to all ages and will begin at 2:30 p.m.
An amateur archery contest will begin at 10:30 a.m. Trophies will be awarded to the top three competitors in an adult and children’s divisions. Recurve bows and arrows will be provided. Participants may not bring their own equipment for the contest. Medieval costumes are encouraged but not required.
After the winners are announced, attendees not wishing to compete may try their hands at archery under the guidance of Sylvan Hills High School Archery Club coaches and trained volunteers.
For more information, email sherwoodfest@cityofsherwood.net.
Unlimited-access armbands for rides will cost $5. The mechanical carnival rides include the Alpine Chairlift, Power Wheel, Pirates Revenge, Turbo Tubs of Fun, G-Force Twin Spin, Space Maze Lazer Tag and Hang Time, which simulates skydiving.
A free Knight Castle and Pirates Bounce/Slide Combo will be available to people without armbands.
Aaron Acosta will provide free balloon animals from noon to 3 p.m. Magician Rocky Clements will hold additional magic shows at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts will also provide roaming entertainment in between their performances on the main stage.
Some vendors will be providing yard games, giveaways and crafts at their booths.
Concession booths have already sold out. Other vendors can reserve booths online at www.cityofsherwood.net/265/Sherwood-Fest-2017.
More than 4,000 people are expected to attend the 41st annual event.
The entertainment schedule includes many local musicians and performers including at 10 a.m. Ukulele Bill, 11 a.m. Impact Gymnastics, 11:30 a.m. Annie Zimmerman, 11:45 a.m. Magician Rocky Clements, 12:30 p.m. Dance FX, 12:45 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts, 1 p.m. Alexandra Powell, 1:15 p.m. Limelight Performance Academy, 1:30 p.m. Sharecroppers, 2:30 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts, 3 p.m. Cheer Time Revolution, 3:15 p.m. Brian and Terri Kinder, 4:15 p.m. Ms. Karen’s Dance Studio, 4:30 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts, 4:45 p.m. Marissa and Jacq’s Dancers, 5 p.m. Allie Keene, 5:15 p.m. Jax Gym Trampoline and Tumbling, 5:30 p.m. Caleb Allen and 5:45 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts.
Ukulele Bill will give away three ukuleles during his show.
Three contests are returning to the event this year, including the Sherwood Rotary Club’s Conquerthe Climb 5K Fun Run and 1K Family Walk/Run, Keep Sherwood Beautiful’s Castle-Building Contest and Archery.
The 5K will begin at 8 a.m. at Sherwood Forest. After the 5K there will be a 1K family run/walk, which will begin around 9 a.m. Strollers and people-friendly pets with current tags are welcome.
Register online at webscorer.com. Sept. 27 is the deadline to guarantee a race T-shirt. Proceeds will support the Sherwood Rotary’s scholarships and youth programs.
The 5K registration fee is $15 for ages 18 and under or $25 for ages 19 and up.
The 1K Family Walk/Run is $10 per person. For more information about the races, email sherwoodfest5k@gmail.com or visit www.webscorer.com.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will register teams of up to four people for the Castle-Building Contest at the information booth until 2 p.m. The group will provide recycled materials for participants to build a castle and requests that participants only use what the organization provides to be fair to all teams.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will judge the castles and award trophies to the best three. The contest is open to all ages and will begin at 2:30 p.m.
An amateur archery contest will begin at 10:30 a.m. Trophies will be awarded to the top three competitors in an adult and children’s divisions. Recurve bows and arrows will be provided. Participants may not bring their own equipment for the contest. Medieval costumes are encouraged but not required.
After the winners are announced, attendees not wishing to compete may try their hands at archery under the guidance of Sylvan Hills High School Archery Club coaches and trained volunteers.
For more information, email sherwoodfest@cityofsherwood.net.
Unlimited-access armbands for rides will cost $5. The mechanical carnival rides include the Alpine Chairlift, Power Wheel, Pirates Revenge, Turbo Tubs of Fun, G-Force Twin Spin, Space Maze Lazer Tag and Hang Time, which simulates skydiving.
A free Knight Castle and Pirates Bounce/Slide Combo will be available to people without armbands.
Aaron Acosta will provide free balloon animals from noon to 3 p.m. Magician Rocky Clements will hold additional magic shows at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Arkansas Circus Arts will also provide roaming entertainment in between their performances on the main stage.
Some vendors will be providing yard games, giveaways and crafts at their booths.
Concession booths have already sold out. Other vendors can reserve booths online at www.cityofsherwood.net/265/Sherwood-Fest-2017.
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