Stories from Friday, September 7, 2012

Trumann's Nate Maxwell was named Unico Bank Player of the Week for his performance in his game against Hoxie. (DT Photo/Anthony Cossey)

This sports reporter had one of the most awesome times in his career this past Saturday. Usually using the phrase "Making Memories" for the photos I take of kids playing sports, I had that phrase used on myself as I had the privilege of shooting photographs on the sidelines at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium in Fayetteville as the Razorbacks hosted the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in their season opener. Making the experience even better was the opportunity to shoot photos of A.J. Turner of Lepanto and Morgan Linton of Lonoke. Turner was a gridiron great for East Poinsett County high school. Turner was on the kickoff and kickoff return team. Linton,a standout fullback from Lonoke High School, is the son of Mike and Jennifer Cash Linton. I also had the chance to see and talk to a young man I covered in high school sports while living in Alabama. Chad Sharp is a redshirt freshman who plays linebacker and does deep snaps. He didn't see playing time in this game. Jacksonville, coached by former Razorback coach Jack Crowe jumped out to an early 14-7 lead before Tyler Wilson righted the ship and led Arkansas to a 49-24 victory. I'll get another chance to be on the sidelines when Arkansas hosts Ole Miss at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on October 27th. I'd like to thank Zack Higbee, Director of Football Media Relations, for helping this reporter have a couple memories he'll never forget.

The EPC Warriors held on to beat the Rivercrest Colts 29-27 this past Friday night in Lepanto. Aaron Scales had a big night as he rushed for 104 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion while throwing for 104 yards and a touchdown. Tristan McDaniel had 77 yards receiving with a 52-yard touchdown catch. Byron Scales lead a trio of Warriors with double digits in tackles with 17. Paul Pilgrim and Trent Barnes added 11 each. Pilgrim had two sacks. Harrisburg travelled to Cross County for football action Friday night Playing in a down pour of rain, the Hornets or Thunderbirds scored in the first half before both coaches decided to call the game with the score 0-0. Devon Jarrett led Harrisburg in rushing with 34 yards. Marked Tree's Indians hosted Clarendon in high school football action Friday. The Indians put up 29 points in the second quarter to lead 36-6 at the half. The game was called due to lightning. Clarendon got on the board first only to see Darius Ivy tie the game late in the first quarter. Josh Simpson gave Marked the lead with the extra-point. Ivy added two more touchdowns in the second quarter on a 55-yard run and six-yard pass reception. Sabon Ledford scored for the defensive taking a lateral and returning it 54-yards. Brody McCrary found Dee Crockett with the two-point pass play to make the score 28-6. Chris Montague scored he final touchdown on the night with an 82-yard run. Ivy ran in the two-point conversion to set the final score. In junior high action this past Thursday, the Junior Hornets travelled to Westside where they lost 22-14. Connor Haag and Dillon Russell had touchdown runs of 15 and 20 yards respectively. Russell added a two-point conversion on the night. Walker Hammond led the defense with eight tackles and a forced fumble with Melvin Bell adding six tackles and a fumble recovery. EPC's Junior Warriors lost to McCrory in Lepanto last Thursday night. EPC fumbled the ball away deep in McCrory territory to end their chances of pulling out a win. Malik Monk scored three touchdowns for EPC as he had touchdown catches of 55 and 20 yards from Clay Malone. Monk returned a kickoff for 78-yards for his other score. The Junior Indians of Marked Tree played Cross County in the season opener and was handed a 42-14 loss.

The Trumann Junior Wildcats opened their season last Thursday by hosting the Junior Mustangs from Hoxie. Playing in on and off rain, the game was not decided until the last play of the game. The first quarter of play saw the teams swap series as Trumann turned the ball over on downs before Hoxie was forced to punt. Trumann was again stopped on downs and the quarter ended with Hoxie having the ball in Junior Wildcat territory. Hoxie got on the board first as they scored on a short run and added the two-point conversion with 6:08 left in the half. Nick Elrod scored with 3:49 left in the half on a 49-yard run before Garrett Woods hit Trey Moody for the two-point pass play to tie the game at 8-8. The tie didn't last long as Hoxie returned the kickoff for a touchdown and added the two-point conversion to go up 16-8 with 3:33 left in the second quarter. Fumbles ended the next drives for both teams as Trumann fumbled on the Hoxie 20-yard line and Hoxie fumbling on the Trumann seven-yard line with Rico Moreno recovering with 36 seconds left in the half. Hoxie takes a 16-8 lead into the half. Neither team could find the end zone it the third quarter and the fourth quarter started with Hoxie still leading 16-8. Lorenzo Buchanan pulled Trumann to withing two with a 77-yard jaunt for the touchdown. The two-point conversion failed making the score 16-14 with 7:46 left in the game. Hoxie looked as if they were on the way to score again when Kevonte Andrews intercepts a pass to set Trumann up for one final drive with 2:30 left. A Woods pass to Moody for 35-yards gives Trumann the ball on the Junior Mustangs 26-yard line with 36 second left to play. Alex Santos lets the ball slip through his hands with less than 10 seconds to play setting up one final play for a possible win for Trumann. Woods rolled out right and threw to his receiver in the end zone only to have the pass intercepted as time expired giving the Junior Mustangs the 16-14 win. "We put ourself in position to win the game. We had a dropped pass in the end zone before running out of time," Wallis said after the game.

The Trumann Wildcats opened their season last Thursday against the Hoxie Mustangs at Wildcat Field in Trumann. The visitors used a potent ground attack on their way to a 41-12 victory. Hoxie took the opening kickoff and drove down the field and punched in a short touchdown run for the game's first score. The extra-point try was good giving Hoxie and 7-0 lead with 7:33 left in the opening period. A.J. Winningham hit Nate Maxwell with a 30-yard touchdown pass with 5:26 left in the first to cut the lead to 7-6. Trumann's two-point try failed leaving the score 7-6 Hoxie. Hoxie again takes the Wildcat kickoff and marches down the field and scores on a short run before adding the extra-point for a 14-6 lead with 2:50 left in the first period. Winningham scored on an 18-yard quarterback keeper to cut the lead to 14-12 with 10:03 left in the second period. The two-point try failed leaving the score 14-12 Mustangs. Hoxie added two more scores before the half with one coming on a 37-yard punt return with 7:25 left and the other on a 54-yard run with 1:00 left before half. Hoxie added one of two extra-points to go in the locker room with a 27-12 lead. Winningham was shaken up late in the second quarter and was questionable for the second half. Trumann received the second half kickoff and had a good drive going before Cameron Wright fumbled with Hoxie recovering at the Wildcats 43-yard line. Hoxie capitalized on the turnover as they had a 15-yard touchdown run and successful point after to go up 34-12 with 5:27 left in the third. Hoxie scored the final points of the game with 11:10 left in the game and adds the extra-point to set the final score at 41-12. Winningham did not play the second play the second half. It was later revealed that Winningham had broken the humerus bone in his left arm and will be out four to six weeks. "We came out and answered the bell thinking it was going to be a shoot out," White said of the game. "We are having to tinker a bit moving Cameron Jones to quarterback, but it won't change our offensive set up much," White added.

MARKED TREE - Jeff Doyle DuVall, 85, of Marked Tree, Ark., went to be with the Lord on Sept. 1, 2012. He was born Dec. 14, 1926, to the late Wade and Zettie DuVall of Atkins, Ark. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Gracie Irene DuVall. They were blessed with 10 children, Eugene and Carolyn DuVall, Linda and Herbert Ford, Gary and Lareda DuVall, Paul DuVall, Carol and Ronnie Gean, Patricia and Charles McCain, Madilyn and Lynn Layman, Renee DuVall and Nelson Parker, Anita and Joe Sangster and Pam and Mike Frazier, 23 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. ...

Mack Howington, 86, passed away on Sept. 1, 2012. Born Oct. 10, 1925, to H.H. and Leonie Brock Howington. Mack was a lifelong citizen of Lepanto, Ark. He was a devoted husband to his beloved wife of 66 years, Hervey Lee Wallace Howington, who preceded him in death, and a loving father and grandfather...

Earnie Gene Walling, 72, of Lepanto, was born Feb. 16, 1940, in Bethesda, Ark., and departed from this life Aug. 29, 2012, at Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. He was preceded in death by his wife Carolyn; his parents, L.D. and Lorene Walling; one brother, Jimmy Walling; one sister, Bonnie Smallwood; one great-grandson, Grayson Hill; and one great-great granddaughter, Jaylein White...

TRUMANN - Mr. John F. Cook, Jr., of Trumann passed away Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in Trumann. He was born in and was a lifetime resident of Trumann. Mr. Cook was retired from Roach Manufacturing in quality control, was a former member of the Trumann Jaycees and a member of First Baptist Church in Trumann...

POINSETT COUNTY -- A local steering committee of Poinsett County officials and leaders will participate in a strategic planning initiative during the week of Sept. 10 and county residents are invited to attend three town hall sessions throughout the county to voice opinions on local and regional opportunities...

Greg Watts of the Arkansas River Association (ARA) was the guest speaker of the Trumann Lions Club Aug. 29. He talked to the group about the rivers and streams of Arkansas. Watts said there has been lots of progress over the years but with progress there is usually a cost. He told of a lot of the places he fished growing up which are now dried up...

Congressman Rick Crawford visited the Marked Tree Public Library last week to deliver 250 books from the Library of Congress' Surplus Books Program. The Library of Congress receives more than 20,000 items a day, but only half of the material is retained for the library's permanent collection. The remainder is designated for donation through the Surplus Books Program...

Hundreds of farmers and students toured the Judd Hill Plantation last week for its 15th annual cotton field day. The field day tour included several stops along the 33 acres of cotton set up as a research station in 2004 through a partnership between Judd Hill, the Judd Hill Foundation, University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University...

Last Friday as Labor Day weekend kicked off, the city of Lepanto found itself with a problem. Only half the town's garbage had been picked up, some of the garbage left had already been sitting out for a week and Delta Environmental had closed its offices...