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COUCH: A lot is going in sports besides the games |
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Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
 Bauxite’s Jon Watson is taking action.
Since the tornadoes devastated the city of Dumas, he and fellow coaches in the football coaching fraternity around the state, are putting down their whistles and picking up hammers, nails, saws, boards and other construction materials to help rebuild Dumas high school. The Miners coach, who has enjoyed several years of football greatness in the state has shown the heart-felt neighborly help that most Arkansans have forgotten. Lending a hand to rebuild a city that was declared by the United States Government as not having enough damage to get financial aid enough to rebuild, hasn’t been overlooked by friends like Watson.
This is about life and living, not about money and politics. People in Dumas deserve the best, too, and this group of coaches are giving of themselves to make life better for those in need of help. I think everyone should take note of this and pitch in.
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I’m taking this space to wish Bauxite Lady Miner Rikki Marshall a speedy recovery.
She was attending a basketball camp in Oklahoma and collapsed on the court.
Marshall, who led the Lady Miners in scoring and rebounding as a junior, is one of the most prolific basketball players in the county.
She is recovering in the hospital right now. Get well soon, Rikki.
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Testing has the Benton Panthers and Lady Panthers taking off this week from their regular spring sports schedules.
The Panthers are off to an 10-0 record in baseball and are 2-0 in the 6AAA South conference. Benton returns to the diamond on Friday with a double-header at Lake Hamilton that begins at 4 p.m.
The rest of the month, the Panthers play a non-conference game at North Little Rock on March 19 at 5 p.m., then host Texarkana in a conference double-header at 4 p.m. on March 23.
If you haven’t seen this group of Panthers perform, you’re missing out especially if you’re a baseball fan. They are winning with their bats and have the pitching depth to go with it.
The Lady Panthers will be hosting the Bootsie Gordon tournament this Friday and Saturday at Tyndall Park.
The annual tournament is one of the largest in fast-pitch softball around the state and this year’s Lady Panthers are determined to be in the championship game.
After a strong performance at the Mount St. Mary’s tournament in Sherwood last weekend, Benton is finally going to play at home for a change.
The Lady Panthers have a double-header at Lake Hamilton on Thursday beginning at 5 p.m. first.
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Speaking of fast-pitch softball, there are two other county teams who deserve recognition.
On Monday, I witnessed the Bauxite Lady Miners take on the Harmony Grove Lady Cardinals in a 5AAA Conference battle that was entertaining until the end.
Harmony Grove, the defending state runners-up last season in Class AA, won the game 3-1. But don’t count out the Lady Miners either.
Bauxite made the state tournament for the first time ever last season and these girls fully expect to be there again this season.
If you’re a softball fan, take an afternoon to go watch either of these teams play ball. It’ll be worth the price of admission, I guarantee it.
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Thoughts and prayers are out to Lady Cardinal Lauren Martin, who suffered a seizure during Harmony Grove’s game with Bauxite.
Thanks on the spot medical training by the Harmony Grove folks and immediate response by the Saline County Emergency staff, Martin will be okay and is expected to return to action soon.
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As far as the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament goes — what about those Razorbacks?!!
Arkansas ripped through the SEC tournament to make the championship game and get into the tournament. I’m tired of hearing from these so-called professional prognosticators how the Razorbacks shouldn’t be there.
Oh well. The Hogs are in and will face the Southern Cal Trojans in the late game of the Eastern Regional first round at 8:55 p.m. on CBS.
Of course you can bet that the game will be preempted by other first round action going on, so I suggest that you get a radio handy and listen to all of the game.
My friend Jim Landers, the voice of the Benton Panthers, will be carrying the Razorbacks’ action on his Benton station KEWI AM 690.
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Now I’ve kept quiet about the recent bungle by the Arkansas Activities Association regarding the state basketball tournaments at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs.
Specifically, the North Little Rock Lady Charging Wildcats game with the Conway Lady Wampus Cats in the semifinals was tainted with an ineligible player.
I’ve still not gotten a proper explanation from anyone who could tell me why the AAA allowed the game to go on even though there was a question before that game about the ineligible player. In all fairness, shouldn’t that particular player, who ended up scoring 35 points and leading Conway over North Little Rock, have sat out that game until her situation was resolved?
In my opinion, North Little Rock, who hoped to defend it’s girls state championship this year, was absolutely raked over the coals.
The AAA has taken fairness out of it’s creed when it comes to basketball. But who’s going to take action against them — they are the “governing body” of Arkansas high school athletics.
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Just to give you heads up, there will be a weekly sports broadcast from high atop the Benton Courier offices in the near future when Charter Cable Channel 95 gets on the air again.
The cable television channel brought you the Benton Panther football games live last year and did a few volleyball games as well.
They’ve got a good crew and have asked the newspaper’s sports department to participate in a weekly sports show that will encompass all of the high schools in the county as well as touch on the Razorbacks and other Arkansas colleges. Sports enthusiasts should be on the lookout for this show, it should be fun and entertaining to say the least.
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I want to throw a shout-out to Brennan Bosley, the professional FLW fisherman from this area.
He’s been putting up large numbers in tournaments and is in line to win one soon.
Stetson Blaylock is a co-angler from the area and is another pro fisherman who knows where the bass hide.
And old Mike Mobley recently came in fifth in a prominent state tournament. It’s fishing season folks and these guys are baiting their hooks up for prize money and lots of fishing fun. Stay tuned for more updates on them.
I’ve even dipped a worm and a minnow last weekend at Piney Bay in London with my old fishing buddy Allen Byars. We caught 18 bass. |
Razorbacks
