Jackrabbits rally, beat Newport for season's first win

Lonoke's Romel Rankin, from left, Brayden Coble and Anthony Parks celebrate after Parks scored a touchdown on a fumble return to make the score 49-40 against Newport on Friday. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — The Lonoke Jackrabbits finally got over the hump.

After dropping the first two games of the season, including a 45-44 overtime loss to Beebe last week, the Jackrabbits rallied from a  two touchdown deficit to beat Newport 49-40 on Friday at James B. Abraham Stadium. The win was the first for new Lonoke coach Harry Wright. 

“That is, by far, the best team we’ve played, just athletically and what they can do in space,” Wright said. “They are really well coached. It was a big win. I’m excited for them.”

Lonoke's Riley Miller makes a tackle against Newport.

Lonoke trailed 34-21 with 9:34 left in the third quarter following a 62-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Monquell Cox. 

Lonoke scored the next two touchdowns. Spencer Pepper threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lucas and a 91-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Parks, the second coming with 3:43 left in the third quarter. Diego Contreras kicked both extra points to give the Jackrabbits a 34-34 lead.

The Jackrabbits pushed their lead to 42-34 on the final play of the third quarter when Parks scored on a 1-yard run. 

Newport cut the deficit to 42-40 on a 4-yard run by Cox with 10:31 left in the game.

Lonoke’s final touchdown came on a scoop and score when Parks forced a fumble by the Newport quarterback then picked up the loose ball and returned in about 20 yards for a touchdown to make the score 49-40.

Newport had a chance to get closer but Lonoke’s Riley Miller intercepted a pass at the Lonoke 1 with 3:09 left.

The Jackrabbits were forced to punt but only got off an 11-yard punt, giving the Greyhounds the ball at the Lonoke 13. However, the Jackrabbits forced Newport to turn the ball over on downs a the 15 yard line. 

Lonoke took a knee to end the game. 

The Jackrabbits finished with 402 yards in total offense. 

Pepper completed 11 of 20 passes for 326 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries. 

Parks caught 4 passes for 146 yards. He rushed for 73 yards on 12 carries. 

Shawn Lake caught 4 passes for 96 yards. Lucas caught 2 passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns. 

Defensively, Romel Rankin and M.J. White each had an interception.

Newport finished with 421 yards in total offense. 

The Jackrabbits will travel to Heber Springs to take on the Panthers in the 4A-2 opener next Friday. 

“These first three games are like preseason,” Wright said. “They count and they matter. Every game matters but what you do in the conference is important. If you can go out and get better every week, that’s all we’re worried about.”

Jackrabbits play better but fall to Badgers in OT

Lonoke quarterback Spencer Pepper follows the blocking of teammate Ayden Rowton during the first quarter against Beebe. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — it wasn’t the outcome that Lonoke Jackrabbits fans wanted Friday night but it was a step in the right direction.

Lonoke rallied from a two-score deficit to force overtime against Beebe but the Badgers scored a two-point conversion to win the game 45-44 in the home opener at James B. Abraham Stadium.

The loss comes two weeks after the Jackrabbits lost at Class 2A Carlisle 38-13 in the season opener. 

In the game with Class 5A Beebe, sophomore quarterback Spencer Pepper accounted for 323 of Lonoke’s 331 total yards. Pepper completed 13 of 22 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 120 yards on 22 carries and scored one touchdown. He also scored a two-point conversion off a pass from MJ White to tie the game at 37-37 with 6:01 left in the third quarter.

Lonoke's Riley Miller [7] and Chaston Dockery
celebrate a touchdown

After a scoreless fourth quarter, the game went into overtime with each team getting to possess the ball first-and-goal from the 10-yard line. 

Lonoke got the ball to start overtime. On third down, Pepper threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to White. Diego Contreras  kicked the extra point to give the Jackrabbits a 44-37 lead.

Beebe scored a touchdown on second down as quarterback Cade Longing scored on a 7-yard run. After a timeout, Beebe decided to go for the win. Longing threw a screen pass to Seth Howard, who barreled his way into the end zone for the two-point conversion and the victory. 

Lonoke led 7-0 following a 29-yard run by Pepper with 8:01 left in the first quarter. After a Beebe score tied it at 7-7, Lonoke reclaimed the lead on a 33-yard pass from Pepper to Chris Lucas. 

Beebe scored 14 consecutive points to lead 21-14. The Jackrabbits broke the streak when Beebe punter Steven Hemmert had the snap sail over his head and threw the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety, making the score 21-16. 

Beebe led 28-16 at halftime.

Lonoke cut the deficit to 28-23 early in the second half on a 12-yard pass from Pepper to Riley Miller. Beebe pushed its lead to 34-23 before Lonoke scored again to cut it to 34-29. Pepper connected with Miller for a 57-yard scoring strike.

Beebe kicker Jaime Rodriguez kicked a 24-yard field goal to make the score 37-29. Lonoke’s Shawn Lake returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown. Lonoke scored the two-point conversion to tie the game at 37-37. 

Miller caught 6 passes for 119 yards. Lake caught 3 passes for 27 yards. Lucas caught 2 passes for 38 yards. Also catching passes were White and Chaston Dockery.

Lonoke hosts the Newport Greyhounds in the final non-conference game this Friday at James B. Abraham Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Bison rout Johnson County Westside for 2-0 start

Carlisle's Lynn Mills catches a pass for a touchdown (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — For the first time in six years, the Carlisle Bison are 2-0.

Carlisle beat Johnson County Westside 58-14 on Friday night to remain perfect on the season. The last time the Bison started a season 2-0 was 2013 when they finished 12-2 and falling to Junction City in the Class 2A state semifinals. 

Carlisle took an 8-0 lead on its first possession. Eli Moody threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Will Carter with 6:16 left in the first quarter. Kamryn Taylor added the two-point conversion. 

After a Westside punt, Taylor ran 76 yards for a touchdown with 5:40 left in the first. Gage Parker added the two-point conversion. 

Westside’s next possession ended with an interception by Carlisle’s Mikey Freeby with 5:25 left in the first quarter. Eight plays later, Taylor scored on a 2-yard run with 1:27 left to make the score 22-0. 

The Bison pushed their lead to 28-0 on a 65-yard run by Taylor with 6:49 left in the first half. 

Westside got on the board on a 4-yard run with 6:39 left.

The Bison got that score back when Moody threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Lynn Mills with 6:19 left. Parker added the two-point conversion to make the score 36-6.

The Bison’s final score of the first half came on a  62-yard run by Collin Jinks with 3:39 left to make the score 44-6, invoking the running clock in the second half. 

Carlisle scored two second-half touchdowns. Tyler Webb scored on a  14-yard run and Will Carter returned a kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown. Parker scored another two-point conversion. 

Moody completed 3 of 3 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. 

Taylor rushed for 143 yards on 4 carries. Jinks had 113 yards on 7 carries. Webb had 72 yards on 8 carries. 

Carter caught two passes for 85 yards. Mills caught one for 53 yards. 

Ian Seidenschwarz led the Bison with 7 tackles. Carter had 6. C.J. James had 5.

The Bison go on the road for the first of six away games this Friday at DeWitt. The Dragons are 2-0 with wins over Stuttgart and Riverview.

Bison pull away from Jackrabbits for 38-13 win

Carlisle's Kamryn Taylor [7] scores the Bison's first touchdown in their 38-13 win over the Lonoke Jackrabbits on Friday night at Fred C. Hardke Field. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The fourth time was the charm for the Bison.

Class 2A Carlisle rallied from a 13-8 halftime deficit to beat the Class 4A Lonoke Jackrabbits 38-13 in the Central Lonoke County Showdown at Fred C. Hardke Field on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

Lonoke and Carlisle had not played for 26 years before resuming the series in 2016 with the Jackrabbits winning the previous three matchups in convincing fashion.

“I told the kids this year that we were not going to have any excuses,” second-year Bison coach Caleb Shock said after the game. “We were going to try to be heavy hitters and swing big punched. I knew they were going to bring a lot of big punches. They are a good 4A football team. We knew we were going to have to come out swinging if we wanted to win.”

Carlisle won the opening toss and deferred to the second half. However, Carlisle’s Lynn Mills recovered an onside kick to start the game. That led to them taking an 8-0 lead following a 5-yard run by Kamryn Taylor with 8:32 left in the first quarter. Will Carter added the two-point conversion. 

“We knew we were going to try an onside kick and see if we could get it,” Shock said. “We did. I was proud of our guys. We kept slugging and slugging away.”

Lonoke dominated the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns to take a 13-8 halftime lead. 

Anthony Parks scored on a 3-yard pass with 4:30 left in the first half. After the play was over, Lonoke’s M.J. White was ejected after shoving a Carlisle player to the ground and throwing down his helmet in frustration. Lonoke attempted the two-point conversion but failed, leaving the Bison ahead at 8-6. 

On it’s next possession, the Jackrabbits drove 43 yards in six plays with Davonta Adams scoring on a 4-yard run with 11 seconds left in the first half. The big play of the drive was a 47-yard pass from Spencer Pepper to Anthony Parks down to the Bison 12. 

Lonoke’s Hunter Smith kicked the extra point. 

“Lonoke made a lot of big plays in the second quarter,” Shock said. “I was proud of our guys being able to rebound in the third quarter.”

The Bison took the second half kickoff and drove 55 yards in 14 plays. It was capped off by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Carter to Isaac Monroe with 5:50 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion was no good, leaving the score at 14-13. 

Lonoke turned the ball over on its next possession when Parks was not able to catch a backwards pass from Pepper with the Bison recovering at the Lonoke 32. Six plays later, Carter scored on a 12-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make the score 22-13. 

The Bison added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Carter scored on a 29-yard run with 7:33 left and Taylor scored on a 41-yard run with 28 seconds left. Taylor scored three two-point conversions in the final 12 minutes. 

“Ball control was the game plan going in,” Shock said. “They are explosive. No. 11 [Parks] can go. Their quarterback [Pepper] can go. No. 6 [Adams] can go. We told our guys that we had to move the sticks and we’ve got to win time of possession and keep the clock rolling. 

“When their offense was on the field, our defense played awesome  tonight. We flew to the football. We’ve got guys that run all over the field. Coach [Wes] Rowland does an outstanding job of getting those guys prepared. It showed up.” 

 The Bison finished with 316 yards in total offense. Taylor led the Bison with 139 yards rushing on 15 carries. Carter had 70 yards rushing on 9 carries. He also caught 4 passes for 54 yards and threw one pass for 21 yards. 

Devarius Allen had 49 yards rushing on 13 carries before leaving the game with an ankle injury. 

Eli Moody completed 4 of 12 passes for 54 yards. 

Lonoke finished with 155 yards in total offense. Adams had 45 yards rushing on 7 carries. Pepper had 43 yards 12 carries. He also completed 6 of 17 passes for 76 yards. 

Parks caught 3 passes for 46 yards. Shaw Lake caught 3 passes for 30 yards. 

The Bison had two interceptions. One each by Carter and Drew Sanders.

Carlisle will host Johnson County Westside next Friday while Lonoke has the week off before hosting Beebe on Sept. 14 at James B. Abraham Stadium. 

Mr. Brown, longtime CHS principal, dies

Mr. and Mrs. Brown 

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

An institution has died.

Raymond H. Brown, the former longtime principal of Carlisle High School, died at his home in Warren, June 21, 2019. Mr. Brown was 89. 

Mr. Brown served as CHS principal from the fall of 1966 until the spring of 1991 when he retired from education. He started his education career as a history teacher at Mablevale in Little Rock following his graduation from Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway, now the University of Central Arkansas. 

At the end of his tenure at Carlisle, the gymnasium was named in his honor.

After retiring from Carlisle, Mr. Brown and his wife Doris moved to Warren where his son Raymond H. Brown Jr. [Hal] was living with his family. 

“My dad wanted to help raise the grand kids,” said Lori Brown, Mr. Brown’s daughter. “He really enjoyed sports with his grandson Trey [Raymond H. Brown III].”

Mr. Brown is survived by his wife of 63 years, Doris; his son Hal and wife Pam; daughter Lori; grandson Trey; granddaughter Leanne Anthony; and great granddaughter Emmie Kate Brown. 

Mr. Brown was born Aug. 20, 1929 in Bryant. He was a great athlete and baseball was his game. After graduating from Bryant High School, Mr. Brown played baseball for three seasons at UCA and was a member of the 1949 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference champions. Lori Brown noted that her nephew Trey also played baseball at UCA. 

Mr. Brown may not have been from Carlisle, but according to Lori, he loved his time there. 

“He loved Carlisle,” Lori said. “He told me in recent years that of all the places he’s ever lived, he liked Carlisle the best. He really liked the people of Carlisle. He really loved the kids in Carlisle. I think they responded well to him. I don’t think they always liked him. 

“I think in the years after they got out of school, they respected him. He was tough on the kids. He excited them to do right and I think they did.”

Mr. and Mrs. Brown were the first two selected as honorary alumni by the CHS Alumni Association in 2002. 

Harry Wright is new Jackrabbits football coach

New Lonoke Jackrabbits football coach Harry Wright visits with his new team following an initial meeting on Tuesday. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — Harry Wright, the defensive coordinator at Bentonville West High School, is the new Lonoke Jackrabbits head football coach.

Wright, 34, was hired by the Lonoke School Board during its regular meeting Monday night. He replaces Taggart Moore, who resigned to enter into private business.

Wright has been at Bentonville West for four seasons, following coach Bryan Pratt from McAlester, Okla., to Bentonville when Bentonville High School split into two schools. 

“My family and I are excited to be here,” Wright said. 

Wright is a graduate of Eufala High School in Oklahoma. He played four years of football at Bacone College, earning All-American Honors twice. 

Wright coached at several Oklahoma schools before making his way to Bentonville.

But Lonoke reminds him of Eufala, his hometown.

“This is opportunity came open, it reminds me a lot of where I went to high school,” Wright said. “I graduated from a 3A Oklahoma school. So it’s similar. 

“I have a 6-year-old son and I wanted him to grow up in the same environment that I grew up in. Football was a huge deal. The town shut down where I went to high school. I feel like Lonoke can be that type of situation and opportunity. It really enticed me for him to grow up in that type on environment, along with the tradition of success and athletes that they’ve had here.”

Wright said everyone he’s talked to about the Lonoke job said it was a good opportunity.

“This is a place where you can be successful at and the kids are going to work hard and take pride in it,” he said. 

Wright and his wife Lauren have one son, Evan. 

“It’s always been my dream when I got into coaching to be a head football coach,” Wright said. “I’ve kind of tried to set myself up throughout my career to learn from the best. I’ve worked for some really good head coaches. My head coach in high school, Kerry Roberts, was one of my mentors. I worked for him for three years.”

The Jackrabbits finished the 2018 season 6-6. They beat Prairie Grove in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs. They lost to Ozark in the second round.

Lonoke opens the 2019 season Aug. 30 at Carlisle. 

Bison rally to beat Pangburn, qualify for state tourney

The Carlisle Bison are headed to the Class 2A state tournament after beating Pangburn 6-3 on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Sara Seidenschwarz)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — For the first time in five years and the eighth time in school history, the Carlisle Bison baseball team is headed to the state tournament.

Carlisle (17-9) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Pangburn 6-3 in the first round of the central regional tournament at Rockefeller Park on Friday. With the win, Carlisle will play in the Class 2A state tournament next week in Mountain Home. 

“We haven’t really talked a whole lot about wins this season but we knew one of the goals was to make it to the state tournament,” said first-year Bison coach coach Steven Tew. “It feels good to accomplish that and we hope to keep it going from there.”

Pangburn, which beat the Bison 13-3 on April 17, scored two runs in the bottom of the second and the score remained the same until the top of the fifth.

Carlisle’s Cody Brown and Ben Orton both scored runs to tie the game at 2-2.

The Bison then plated four runs in the top of the sixth to take a 6-2 lead. Scoring were Noah Seidenschwarz, Brown, Orton and Blake White. 

Pangburn added a run in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 6-3. The Tigers had a change to score in the bottom of the seventh but left runners at first and second to end the game. 

White got the win, giving up three runs in six innings. He struck out seven while allowing nine hits and five walks. Brown pitched a scoreless seventh. 

“Blake really didn’t have his best stuff early on but he batted up there,” Tew said. “They got something going in the second but he did a good job limiting the damage and giving up only two runs that inning. 

“Around the fourth, something clicked for him and he started to command his pitches a little better. After that moment, we were able to start spotting fastballs and throwing curveballs and change ups for strikes. It helped keep Pangburn’s hitters off balance.”

The Bison had seven hits but also left 12 runners on base. Brown, Orton and Ian Seidenschwarz had two hits each. 

“Offensively, we felt like we had opportunities but couldn’t get a big hit to score any of them,” Tew said. “We just kept grinding and kept having good at bats until we got two across in the fifth and four more in the sixth. 

“I was proud of how they handled themselves during those tough innings. A good example of it was really Braiden Jenkins. He had a good at bat with two outs and runners on second and third. It ended in a strikeout but it also did two important things for us. It rolled the lineup over to the top for the next inning and it helped run the pitch count up for Pangburn’s guy, which led to them having to go to the bullpen. Braiden was a little down on himself after that one but he didn’t carry it over to the field.”

Jenkins dove for a fly ball in the gap on the first pitch of the next inning for an out.

“He made of the best plays we’ve had all year by diving to the gap,” Tew said of Jenkins. “It was a big moment and got us fired up.”

The Bison will play Conway St. Joseph on Sunday in the semifinals of the regional at Rockefeller Park.