Week #4 - 2012 Arkansas High School Football Schedule

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Here is the schedule for Week #4 of the 2012 Arkansas high school football season. Conference play starts for every in state. All games are Friday, September 21. Interesting early conference tussles include Ft. Smith Northside @ Greenwood, Bentonville @ Springdale Har-Ber, and Benton vs. Bryant in the Salt Bowl.

7A/6A West	7A/6A Central
7A/6A East	7A/6A South
5A West	5A East
5A South	5A Central
4A-1	4A-2
4A-3	4A-4
4A-7	4A-8
3A-1	3A-2
3A-3	3A-4
3A-5	3A-6
2A-3	2A-4
2A-5	2A-6
2A-7	2A-8

---

7A/6A WEST

• Bentonville @ Springdale Har-Ber
• Van Buren @ Fayetteville
• Springdale @ Rogers
• Rogers Heritage @ Siloam Springs

---

7A/6A CENTRAL

• Little Rock Catholic @ Little Rock Hall
• Conway @ Russellville
• Ft. Smith Northside @ Greenwood
• Little Rock Parkview @ Ft. Smith Southside

---

7A/6A EAST

• North Little Rock @ Cabot
• Little Rock Central @ Searcy
• West Memphis @ Jonesboro
• Mountain Home @ Marion

---

7A/6A SOUTH

• Benton vs. Bryant
• Salt Bowl @ War Memorial Stadium
• El Dorado @ Little Rock Fair
• Lake Hamilton @ Sheridan
• Pine Bluff @ Texarkana

---

5A WEST

• Alma @ Clarksville
• Huntsville @ Greenbrier
• Harrison @ Vilonia
• Shiloh Christian @ Morrilton

---

5A EAST

• Nettleton @ Batesville
• Paragould @ Beebe
• Wynne @ Blytheville
• Forrest City @ Greene County Tech

---

5A SOUTH

• Hot Springs Lakeside @ Camden Fairview
• Hope @ DeQueen
• Watson Chapel @ Hot Springs
• White Hall @ Magnolia

---

5A CENTRAL

• West Helena @ Jacksonville
• Sylvan Hills @ Little Rock Christian
• Little Rock McClellan @ Little Rock Mills
• North Pulaski @ Pulaski Academy

---

4A-1

• Lincoln @ Berryville
• Farmington @ Gentry
• Gravette @ Pea Ridge
• Prairie Grove @ Ozark

---

4A-2

• Marianna @ Clinton
• Newport @ Pine Bluff Dollarway
• Heber Springs @ Lonoke
• Southside Batesville @ Stuttgart

---

4A-3

• Gosnell @ Brookland
• Valley View @ Cave City
• Highland @ Jonesboro Westside
• Trumann @ Pocahontas

---

4A-4

• Booneville @ Waldron
• Dover @ Dardanelle
• Maumelle @ Mena
• Pottsville @ Subiaco Academy

---

4A-7

• Arkadelphia @ Nashville
• Central Arkansas Christian @ Arkansas Baptist
• Pulaski Robinson @ Ashdown
• Bauxite @ Malvern

---

4A-8

• Warren @ Crossett
• Hamburg @ DeWitt
• Dumas @ Lake Village
• Monticello @ Star City

---

3A-1

• Yellville-Summit @ Elkins
• Green Forest OPEN
• Melbourne @ Greenland
• Mountain View @ West Fork

---

3A-2

• Bald Knob @ Riverview
• Rose Bud @ Barton
• Harding Academy @ Episcopal Collegiate
• Perryville @ Mayflower

---

3A-3

• Earle @ Corning
• Harrisburg @ Rivercrest
• Osceola @ Hoxie
• Piggott @ Manila

---

3A-4

• Atkins @ Cedarville
• Charleston @ Danville
• Lamar @ Lavaca
• Mansfield @ Paris

---

3A-5

• Bismarck @ Jessieville
• Horatio @ Two Rivers
• Glen Rose @ Benton Harmony Grove
• Fountain Lake @ Centerpoint

---

3A-6

• Drew Central @ Prescott
• Fordyce @ Genoa Central
• Smackover @ Fouke
• Camden Harmony Grove @ McGehee

---

2A-3

• Augusta @ Cedar Ridge
• Cross County @ East Poinsett County
• Marked Tree @ Salem
• Walnut Ridge @ McCrory

---

2A-4

• Hartford @ Dardanelle JV (Tuesday, September 18)
• Decatur @ Hackett
• Western Yell County @ Hector
• Magazine @ Union Christian
• Mountainburg @ Westside-Johnson County

---

2A-5

• Quitman @ Bigelow
• Poyen @ Conway Christian
• Mountain Pine @ Cutter Morning Star
• Mount Ida @ Magnet Cove

---

2A-6

• Brinkley @ England
• Palestine-Wheatley @ Carlisle
• Des Arc @ Clarendon
• Marvell @ Hazen

---

2A-7

• Dierks @ Gurdon
• Foreman @ Spring Hill
• Lafayette County @ Murfreesboro
• Redwater (TX) @ Mineral Springs

---

2A-8

• Woodlawn @ Bearden
• Hermitage @ Norphlet
• Junction City @ Strong
• Parkers Chapel @ Rison
• Hampton OPEN

Week #6 - 2012 Arkansas High School Football Schedule

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We are now past the midway point of the 2012 Arkansas high school football season. Week #6 kicks off with many teams already fighting for their playoff lives. All but one varsity game this week will played on Friday, October 5.

Here are the intriguing match-ups that we see out there for this week:

• Bentonville @ Rogers
• Unexpected contest of two 5-0 teams in the 7A/6A West
• Lake Hamilton @ Pine Bluff
• Winner goes to 3-0 in the 7A/6A South
• Greenbrier @ Morrilton
• Winner goes to 3-0 in the 5A West

We are sure to have missed some great match-ups, so let us know about them.

7A/6A West	7A/6A Central
7A/6A East	7A/6A South
5A West	5A East
5A South	5A Central
4A-1	4A-2
4A-3	4A-4
4A-7	4A-8
3A-1	3A-2
3A-3	3A-4
3A-5	3A-6
2A-3	2A-4
2A-5	2A-6
2A-7	2A-8

---

7A/6A WEST

• Bentonville @ Rogers
• Rogers Heritage @ Fayetteville
• Springdale @ Siloam Springs
• Van Buren @ Springdale Har-Ber

---

7A/6A CENTRAL

• Little Rock Catholic @ Greenwood
• Ft. Smith Northside @ Conway
• Little Rock Hall @ Ft. Smith Southside
• Little Rock Parkview @ Russellville

---

7A/6A EAST

• Mountain Home @ Cabot
• Little Rock Central @ West Memphis
• North Little Rock @ Jonesboro
• Marion @ Searcy

---

7A/6A SOUTH

• Benton @ Sheridan
• Bryant @ Little Rock Fair
• El Dorado @ Texarkana
• Lake Hamilton @ Pine Bluff

---

5A WEST

• Harrison @ Alma
• Vilonia @ Clarksville
• Greenbrier @ Morrilton
• Huntsville @ Shiloh Christian

---

5A EAST

• Forrest City @ Batesville
• Wynne @ Beebe
• Blytheville @ Greene County Tech
• Paragould @ Nettleton

---

5A SOUTH

• Camden Fairview @ Magnolia
• Hot Springs @ DeQueen
• Hope @ Watson Chapel
• White Hall @ Hot Springs Lakeside

---

5A CENTRAL

• Sylvan Hills @ Jacksonville
• Little Rock Christian @ Pulaski Academy
• Little Rock McClellan @ West Helena
• North Pulaski @ Little Rock Mills

---

4A-1

• Berryville @ Farmington
• Pea Ridge @ Gentry
• Gravette @ Ozark
• Prairie Grove @ Lincoln

---

4A-2

• Clinton @ Pine Bluff Dollarway
• Heber Springs @ Marianna
• Southside Batesville @ Lonoke
• Newport @ Stuttgart

---

4A-3

• Pocahontas @ Brookland
• Jonesboro Westside @ Cave City
• Trumann @ Gosnell
• Highland @ Valley View

---

4A-4

• Booneville @ Dardanelle
• Maumelle @ Dover
• Pottsville @ Mena
• Waldron @ Subiaco Academy

---

4A-7

• Arkadelphia @ Central Arkansas Christian
• Arkansas Baptist @ Nashville
• Ashdown @ Malvern
• Bauxite @ Pulaski Robinson

---

4A-8

• DeWitt @ Crossett
• Dumas @ Warren
• Hamburg @ Star City
• Lake Village @ Monticello

---

3A-1

• Elkins OPEN
• Yellville-Summit @ Green Forest
• Mountain View @ Greenland
• Melbourne @ West Fork

---

3A-2

• Bald Knob @ Harding Academy
• Barton @ Perryville
• Rose Bud @ Episcopal Collegiate
• Mayflower @ Riverview

---

3A-3

• Corning @ Rivercrest
• Hoxie @ Earle
• Manila @ Harrisburg
• Osceola @ Piggott

---

3A-4

• Charleston @ Atkins
• Cedarville @ Lamar
• Danville @ Mansfield
• Paris @ Lavaca

---

3A-5

• Benton Harmony Grove @ Jessieville
• Two Rivers @ Centerpoint
• Fountain Lake @ Horatio
• Bismarck @ Glen Rose

---

3A-6

• Drew Central @ Smackover
• Fordyce @ Prescott
• Camden Harmony Grove @ Fouke
• McGehee @ Genoa Central

---

2A-3

• Augusta @ Marked Tree
• Salem @ Cedar Ridge
• Walnut Ridge @ Cross County
• East Poinsett County @ McCrory

---

2A-4

• October 4 (Thursday)
• McDonald County JV (MO) @ Decatur (Thursday, October 4)
• October 5
• Hackett @ Union Christian
• Hartford @ Westside-Johnson County
• Hector @ Mountainburg
• Magazine @ Western Yell County

---

2A-5

• Mountain Pine @ Bigelow
• Mount Ida @ Conway Christian
• Poyen @ Cutter Morning Star
• Quitman @ Magnet Cove

---

2A-6

• Carlisle @ Brinkley
• Hazen @ Clarendon
• Palestine-Wheatley @ Des Arc
• England @ Marvell

---

2A-7

• October 4 (Thursday)
• Junction City @ Spring Hill (Thursday, October 4)
• October 5
• Dierks @ Mineral Springs
• Foreman OPEN 
• Lafayette County disbanded
• Murfreesboro @ Gurdon

---

2A-8

• October 4 (Thursday)
• Junction City @ Spring Hill (Thursday, October 4)
• October 5
• Hermitage @ Bearden
• Woodlawn @ Hampton
• Norphlet @ Rison
• Parkers Chapel @ Strong

iBookstore Now Has Saturday Morning Wake-Up Call

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We are happy to announce that the iTunes iBookstore is now carrying our book, Saturday Morning Wake-Up Call. Here is the link to the iTunes book page. Even though the Smashwords version was available for the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone, distribution through the iTunes Store gets you access to all the Apple features (cloud storage, etc.).

We are still running these specials on the book at Smashwords. Here the link to the Smashwords book page.

• 75% Off (Cost - $1.00) Until Oct. 4 -- Use Coupon Code XE45B
• 50% Off (Cost - $2.00) Until Oct. 11 -- Use Coupon Code TK44X
• 25% Off (Cost - $3.00) Until Oct. 26 -- Use Coupon Code WG84J

Please "Like" our Facebook book page:
https://www.facebook.com/SaturdayMorningWakeUpCall

*** ~~~ ***
We have also become a part of Operation eBook Drop. The indie authors in this program give away their eBooks to active duty service members. If you are in the service and would like a copy of our book, please send us an email at arkansasfootballbloggers@gmail.com. You can also sign up at the Operation eBook Drop Facebook page to receive free books from almost 1500 indie authors. Finally, if you have a friend or family member that is serving, let them know about this program (and our book). We will be sure to send them a free copy.

2012 - Week #6 Scores

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Week #6 of the 2012 Arkansas high school football season is in the books. Overall, there were not that many close games on the board. However, we did see two 1-point thrillers in 2A as Cutter Morning Star defeated Poyen 13-12 and Augusta took down Marked Tree 31-30.

Even with fewer close games, the scoring was definitely down from last week. But then again, how could it not be down after the offense we witnessed last week? Nashville lead all teams in scoring with 68 while Hampton (64) and England (61) both went over the 60-point mark. This is the 50-point club for Week #6:

• Prescott (58)
• Westside-Johnson County (58)
• Ft. Smith Southside (56)
• Wynne (56)
• Rivercrest (56)
• Hackett (55)
• Heber Springs (54)
• Warren (54)
• Fayetteville (52)
• Glen Rose (52)
• Lonoke (51)
• Springdale (50)
• White Hall (50)

7A/6A West	7A/6A Central
7A/6A East	7A/6A South
5A West	5A East
5A South	5A Central
4A-1	4A-2
4A-3	4A-4
4A-7	4A-8
3A-1	3A-2
3A-3	3A-4
3A-5	3A-6
2A-3	2A-4
2A-5	2A-6
2A-7	2A-8

---

7A/6A WEST

• Bentonville 35, Rogers 6
• Fayetteville 52, Rogers Heritage 21
• Springdale 50, Siloam Springs 20
• Springdale Har-Ber 48, Van Buren 21

---

7A/6A CENTRAL

• Greenwood 42, Little Rock Catholic 14
• Conway 47, Ft. Smith Northside 13
• Ft. Smith Southside 56, Little Rock Hall 14
• Russellville 35, Little Rock Parkview 7

---

7A/6A EAST

• Cabot 42, Mountain Home 17
• West Memphis 20, Little Rock Central 7
• North Little Rock 27, Jonesboro 20
• Searcy 17, Marion 0

---

7A/6A SOUTH

• Sheridan 17, Benton 14
• Bryant 35, Little Rock Fair 14
• El Dorado 41, Texarkana 7
• Pine Bluff 40, Lake Hamilton 6

---

5A WEST

• Alma 29, Harrison 13
• Vilonia 45, Clarksville 13
• Greenbrier 49, Morrilton 13
• Shiloh Christian 16, Huntsville 7

---

5A EAST

• Batesville 45, Forrest City 6
• Wynne 56, Beebe 28
• Blytheville 22, Greene County Tech 16
• Nettleton 37, Paragould 8

---

5A SOUTH

• Camden Fairview 42, Magnolia 0
• Hot Springs 27, DeQueen 14
• Watson Chapel 28, Hope 23
• White Hall 50, Hot Springs Lakeside 21

---

5A CENTRAL

• Jacksonville 49, Sylvan Hills 14
• Pulaski Academy 42, Little Rock Christian 14
• Little Rock McClellan 40, West Helena 32
• Little Rock Mills 41, North Pulaski 7

---

4A-1

• Farmington 40, Berryville 0
• Pea Ridge 25, Gentry 0
• Ozark 35, Gravette 7
• Prairie Grove 49, Lincoln 2

---

4A-2

• Pine Bluff Dollarway 46, Clinton 7
• Heber Springs 54, Marianna 0
• Lonoke 51, Southside Batesville 21
• Stuttgart 20, Newport 13

---

4A-3

• Pocahontas 48, Brookland 14
• Jonesboro Westside 30, Cave City 20
• Gosnell 40, Trumann 14
• Highland 21, Valley View 3

---

4A-4

• Booneville 27, Dardanelle 14
• Maumelle 42, Dover 7
• Pottsville 39, Mena 17
• Subiaco Academy 42, Waldron 14

---

4A-7

• Central Arkansas Christian 7, Arkadelphia 0
• Nashville 68, Arkansas Baptist 19
• Malvern 28, Ashdown 0
• Bauxite 34, Pulaski Robinson 18

---

4A-8

• Crossett 36, DeWitt 14
• Warren 54, Dumas 14
• Star City 17, Hamburg 14
• Monticello 33, Lake Village 15

---

3A-1

• Yellville-Summit 17, Green Forest 10
• Greenland 40, Mountain View 0
• West Fork 42, Melbourne 26

---

3A-2

• Harding Academy 37, Bald Knob 8
• Barton 36, Perryville 0
• Episcopal Collegiate 44, Rose Bud 28
• Riverview 48, Mayflower 27

---

3A-3

• Rivercrest 56, Corning 0
• Earle 48, Hoxie 16
• Harrisburg 24, Manila 8
• Osceola 44, Piggott 0

---

3A-4

• Atkins 32, Charleston 29
• Lamar 34, Cedarville 19
• Danville 23, Mansfield 13
• Paris 41, Lavaca 0

---

3A-5

• Jessieville 32, Benton Harmony Grove 16
• Centerpoint 33, Two Rivers 25
• Fountain Lake 43, Horatio 8
• Glen Rose 52, Bismarck 12

---

3A-6

• Smackover 41, Drew Central 6
• Prescott 58, Fordyce 34
• Camden Harmony Grove 28, Fouke 7
• McGehee 40, Genoa Central 9

---

2A-3

• Augusta 31, Marked Tree 30
• Salem 45, Cedar Ridge 0
• Walnut Ridge 48, Cross County 6
• East Poinsett County 20, McCrory 6

---

2A-4

• Decatur 48, McDonald County JV (MO) 0
• Hackett 55, Union Christian 0
• Westside-Johnson County 58, Hartford 0
• Mountainburg 41, Hector 19
• Magazine 36, Western Yell County 6

---

2A-5

• Bigelow 43, Mountain Pine 0
• Conway Christian 48, Mount Ida 15
• Cutter Morning Star 13, Poyen 12
• Magnet Cove 34, Quitman 12

---

2A-6

• Carlisle 44, Brinkley 0
• Hazen 48, Clarendon 14
• Palestine-Wheatley 30, Des Arc 20
• England 61, Marvell 8

---

2A-7

• Junction City 49, Spring Hill 0
• Mineral Springs 24, Dierks 12
• Gurdon 21, Murfreesboro 10

---

2A-8

• Junction City 49, Spring Hill 0
• Bearden 45, Hermitage 0
• Hampton 64, Woodlawn 0
• Rison 32, Norphlet 6
• Strong 28, Parkers Chapel 21

Week #7 - 2012 Arkansas High School Football Schedule

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This Friday (October 12) will mark Week #7 of the 2012 Arkansas high school football season. At this point, there are many teams fighting for their playoff lives. The key games that we see this weekend for the conference championship pictures are the following:

• Conway @ Ft. Smith Southside
• North Little Rock @ Searcy
• Batesville @ Wynne
• Gosnell @ Highland

We are sure that we missed some great games. Let us know about them.

7A/6A West	7A/6A Central
7A/6A East	7A/6A South
5A West	5A East
5A South	5A Central
4A-1	4A-2
4A-3	4A-4
4A-7	4A-8
3A-1	3A-2
3A-3	3A-4
3A-5	3A-6
2A-3	2A-4
2A-5	2A-6
2A-7	2A-8

---

7A/6A WEST

• Rogers Heritage @ Bentonville
• Fayetteville @ Rogers
• Van Buren @ Springdale
• Springdale Har-Ber @ Siloam Springs

---

7A/6A CENTRAL

• Russellville @ Little Rock Catholic
• Conway @ Ft. Smith Southside
• Greenwood @ Little Rock Hall
• Ft. Smith Northside @ Little Rock Parkview

---

7A/6A EAST

• Cabot @ Little Rock Central
• Jonesboro @ Mountain Home
• West Memphis @ Marion
• North Little Rock @ Searcy

---

7A/6A SOUTH

• Texarkana @ Benton
• Sheridan @ Bryant
• Lake Hamilton @ El Dorado
• Pine Bluff @ Little Rock Fair

---

5A WEST

• Alma @ Huntsville
• Clarksville @ Greenbrier
• Shiloh Christian @ Harrison
• Morrilton @ Vilonia

---

5A EAST

• Batesville @ Wynne
• Beebe @ Blytheville
• Paragould @ Forrest City
• Nettleton @ Greene County Tech

---

5A SOUTH

• DeQueen @ Camden Fairview
• Hot Springs Lakeside @ Hope
• Magnolia @ Hot Springs
• Watson Chapel @ White Hall

---

5A CENTRAL

• Jacksonville @ North Pulaski
• Little Rock Mills @ Little Rock Christian
• Pulaski Academy @ Little Rock McClellan
• West Helena @ Sylvan Hills

---

4A-1

• Berryville @ Prairie Grove
• Gravette @ Farmington
• Lincoln @ Gentry
• Ozark @ Pea Ridge

---

4A-2

• Stuttgart @ Clinton
• Pine Bluff Dollarway @ Lonoke
• Newport @ Heber Springs
• Marianna @ Southside Batesville

---

4A-3

• Brookland @ Jonesboro Westside
• Cave City @ Pocahontas
• Gosnell @ Highland
• Valley View @ Trumann

---

4A-4

• Mena @ Booneville
• Dardanelle @ Waldron
• Dover @ Pottsville
• Subiaco Academy @ Maumelle

---

4A-7

• Pulaski Robinson @ Arkadelphia
• Malvern @ Arkansas Baptist
• Nashville @ Ashdown
• Central Arkansas Christian @ Bauxite

---

4A-8

• Monticello @ Crossett
• Warren @ DeWitt
• Star City @ Dumas
• Hamburg @ Lake Village

---

3A-1

• Elkins @ Melbourne
• Green Forest @ Mountain View
• Greenland OPEN
• West Fork @ Yellville-Summit

---

3A-2

• Episcopal Collegiate @ Bald Knob
• Barton @ Mayflower
• Harding Academy @ Riverview
• Perryville @ Rose Bud

---

3A-3

• Osceola @ Corning
• Earle @ Harrisburg
• Hoxie @ Manila
• Piggott @ Rivercrest

---

3A-4

• Atkins @ Mansfield
• Cedarville @ Paris
• Lamar @ Charleston
• Lavaca @ Danville

---

3A-5

• Jessieville @ Two Rivers
• Bismarck @ Horatio
• Centerpoint @ Benton Harmony Grove
• Glen Rose @ Fountain Lake

---

3A-6

• Drew Central @ Genoa Central
• Smackover @ Fordyce
• Fouke @ McGehee
• Prescott @ Camden Harmony Grove

---

2A-3

• Cross County @ Augusta
• Cedar Ridge @ East Poinsett County
• Marked Tree @ Walnut Ridge
• McCrory @ Salem

---

2A-4

• Western Yell County @ Decatur
• Mountainburg @ Hackett
• Magazine @ Hartford
• Hector @ Union Christian
• Westside-Johnson County OPEN

---

2A-5

• Bigelow @ Poyen
• Conway Christian @ Quitman
• Cutter Morning Star @ Mount Ida
• Magnet Cove @ Mountain Pine

---

2A-6

• Brinkley @ Marvell
• Hazen @ Carlisle
• Clarendon @ Palestine-Wheatley
• Des Arc @ England

---

2A-7

• Dierks OPEN
• Lafayette County DROPPED
• Gurdon @ Spring Hill
• Mineral Springs @ Murfreesboro
• Foreman OPEN

---

2A-8

• October 11
• Pine Bluff JV @ Rison (Thursday, October 11)
• October 12
• Bearden @ Norphlet
• Hampton @ Parkers Chapel
• Strong @ Hermitage
• Junction City @ Woodlawn

Summer Sunset and Six-Man All-Stars Shine On

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Sturm Interception, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.The smell of freshly scattered manure filled the air in Custer, Montana for the 15th Annual Six-Man All Star game. And for whatever reason, that fragrance was as right as rain given the perfect summertime weather and a slow-setting sun of early June.

I’m unsure of the attendance numbers, but given it was held in Custer—some 50 miles from Billings—it was a pretty impressive gathering of true six-man football fans. If I had to guess, I’d start by laying credit toward game director Jim Goltz (also head coach of the Fromberg-Roberts six-man team) for this strong turnout.

For three extra dollars, spectators left the game with an extremely valuable program. I would have gladly thrown down five knowing it had the upcoming schedules for all 28 six-man teams inside. Finally, I can start planning for next year now instead of late August. And for whoever sells ads in next year’s program, I’ll purchase some ad space, so call me.

If I had to complain (and as many of you know, there’s always at least one from me), I’m a bit miffed on why both eight-man and six-man games are on the same night. I don’t mind picking one championship game to attend when they are all on the same day with winter bearing down, but given the flexibility of this time of year, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to at least have these two games a day apart from each other. I wouldn’t mind driving to Butte one day for the eight-man all-star shootout and turn around and drive to Custer the next day for the six-man all-star blast—or vice versa.

Better yet, give each game their own weekend and now we’re talking about some kind of awesome Montana summer vacation.

The Rivals: Montana's New Co-op

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Six-Man Solitude, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.When it comes to playing football under the circumstances of dwindling enrollment numbers, six-man football is the ultimate story of adaptation. A school with only fifteen players could prop up an eleven-man team with the hope that injuries don’t finish off their season. However, a better scenario would be for the same team to play six-man football and have enough players to scrimmage during practice and field a respectable and competitive team.

But, what if a school doesn’t even have twelve players—enough to scrimmage in six-man? In the case of Highwood and Geraldine—two perennial powerhouses in Montana six-man play—this is exactly what happened.

Since 1988 these two six-man teams have notched 18 championship game appearances… that’s 18 of the last 23 title games. Of those 18 title games, 15 resulted in victory. In five of those title games, the two rivals faced each other.

Beginning this year, due to a decline in classroom enrollments, the high-octane rivalry of Highwood and Geraldine will transform into a six-man football co-op that is already turning heads. Lead by Geraldine’s veteran coach, Rod Tweet, the Rivals will be competing in Montana’s Six-Man Northern Conference.

Tweet is cautious about making any kind of predictions regarding his team as a state contender. “We don’t have the number of kids to compete anymore,” declared Tweet. “The kids we have are good kids, but injuries play a big role in the game. So, it’s not like we’re going to get together and have 25 kids to play football.” The Rivals started their first week of practice with 16 kids on the roster.

Talk of the merge commenced during last year’s football season. Both teams starting looking at their (already low) numbers and anticipated that each school would barely have enough to field a six-man team. The initial projections were seven players from each school. Tweet’s first discussions were with his players. “I told the boys we were at a spot where I didn’t know if we could finish the season, because injuries are part of football and we’ve had more than are fair share in the last two or three years.”


Tigers and Mountaineers, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Not only was that a dismal outlook for having a competitive season, but it also threatened either program’s future should injuries force such a small-staffed football team to forfeit games. According to Montana High School Association, if a school forfeits two of its games in a season, they are required to compete at a junior varsity level the following year. This would have been a setback for the upperclassmen of either school if they found themselves competing at the junior varsity level in their senior year.

Born from a need to survive, the two Chouteau County football programs will forego their annual contest on the gridiron and whatever rivalry remains between the two schools will be nourished from the volleyball and basketball courts or the track.

Creating and maintaining any kind of athletic co-op is never easy—ask the folks in Custer and Melstone or Broadview and Lavina. There’s much to consider in all of the messy logistics that come together to make for a successful season regardless of the win-loss record. Some of the trickier orchestrations include: coordinating transportation for practices, selecting a team mascot and colors that both schools will adopt, choosing captains without showing favor to one school over the other, making homecoming week arrangements—all of these while pulling support from the participating communities. This becomes even more challenging and complex when two hotly-contested opponents like Geraldine and Highwood are asked to work together.


Highwood Mountains Network, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that this first year for the Rivals will be a bumpy ride, but how well they fair in their new co-op relationship will be critical in establishing how smooth their co-op runs in future seasons. “The obvious problem with co-ops is getting kids on the same page,” according to Coach Tweet. “You’ve got two towns with their own identities and trying to blend them together takes time. I don’t know how long that really takes to get it so they think of it as one team.”

If there is one thing that might keep the bumps to a minimum, it will be the fact that the two communities have already established and maintained a co-op between their two junior high football programs for the past five years.

Even if the Geraldine-Highwood co-op is not the first, it is likely pushing the limits of daily operations required of a football team given the one-hour travel time between each school. Perhaps they can look to the six-man football co-op of Custer and Melstone for inspiration. These two schools have survived for over ten years with a 40-mile stretch of dirt road between them. But, there are casualties to consider as well, such as the short-lived Rapelje-Ryegate co-op. Rapelje now co-ops with Reed Point, while any Ryegate kids that wish to play football travel to Harlowton.

Despite the rich tradition of winning at Geraldine and Highwood, their real adversary in whether they ever bring a six-man title trophy home again might not be in the stiff competition they see each week on the gridiron, but all of the off-field logistical struggles required in maintaining a healthy and working co-op.

Postscript: The Rivals have four home games on the schedule, two will be played in Geraldine and two in Highwood.

Just In Time For Christmas?

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Temples Cover, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Some people are really good in promoting themselves or the things they make. Honestly, I don’t know how to go about it and even if I really knew how, I’d be reluctant.

Hell, I’m even reluctant about writing this here.

Nevertheless, here goes nothing. Call it “shameless self-promotion,” I’m guilty as charged. But, I’ll only mention it here and this one time.

I have a book that is available for purchase (see sidebar).

The book is not a compilation of everything you see in this blog, rather it is one chapter or one installment about one of the particulars of small town high school football—in this case it’s about the football fields where small town football is played.

NPR’s sports correspondent Mike Pesca was generous enough to write the foreword. So, a big “thank you” to Mike.

This first book is only 36 pages and not cheap, but those are the circumstances of self-publishing using an on-demand print provider (www.blurb.com). However, you can preview the book at no cost in case you can’t justify the dough of a purchase. Have at it… anyway you can.

Because it is only 36 pages, I couldn’t publish every football field I’ve ever visited. So, the good folks in Reed Point (for example) will be a bit let down to know that their nice little stadium adjacent to I-90 did not make the cut. Fear not however, there are other books to consider and I’m confident that Reed Point, its team, or some incarnation of playing football there will eventually make it to a page or two in a future installment.

Someone might be asking about right now, “When’s the next installment?” I’m thinking next year about this same time as another season begins.

Then of course there’s, “How many installments will there be?” Somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12, but if I have my way, a “real” publisher will come along and rescue me from such long-term torment.

We’ll have to see. It might be just pie in the sky especially if self-promotion is critical.

Firsts in the First Week

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"Rocky", a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Just for the record, I’m counting this past weekend as the first week of high school football in Montana and Wyoming even if there were a handful of games last week. Supporting my argument, almost everyone was on the gridiron this past week including the six-man teams.

And if it was the first week, it was a week of firsts too, starting in Red Lodge with their newly minted mascot—the Rams. The game’s announcer started the evening with, “Good evening Redskin fans, welcome to a new era of Red Lodge Rams Football.” Once that was said, there was no looking back to the old mascot name as the new mascot delivered. Red Lodge went to work on the Herders (a uniquely Montana mascot name if there ever was one) of Big Timber, scoring the game’s first touchdown and never relinquishing the lead in the Class B eleven-man contest.

During the off-season the school and community of Red Lodge were actively considering and choosing a replacement for their old and culturally-insensitive Redskins. I was secretly and silently hoping a unique mascot name would rise to the top like Ropers, Silverbacks or Loggers, but it wasn’t to be.


Break, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.While sitting in the stands and enjoying the game, I wondered what would happen if someone blurted out, “C’mon Redskins!” Perhaps someone did (or will someday), but Red Lodge appears to have gone to great lengths in establishing and securing this new mascot name, including a “Rocky” the Ram costume worn by a Red Lodge student.

For the history books, Red Lodge’s Dylan Buckstead will go down as the first Ram to score a touchdown on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Sean Sullivan in the first quarter.

Big Sky’s Lone Peak

Off To The Game, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Saturday I wondered into virgin football country just south of Bozeman to watch the very first football game played by the Lone Peak Big Horns (take note Red Lodge fans) as they hosted the Fromberg-Roberts Falcons.

The Big Horns were reminiscent of the Farson-Eden Pronghorns (yep, another classic mascot name) in their first season of play two years ago. Despite having more players than Fromberg and matching them in size, the Falcons were clearly superior in all of the fundamentals of football such as tackling, throwing, running with the ball and blocking—all of which are terribly critical early in the season.

Good coaching aside, I suspect this mastery of game fundamentals would also be attributed to the cumulative playing experience of the Fromberg-Roberts team. As a result, the Big Horn players, including its eight upperclassmen, will never forget Fromberg-Roberts—the first opponent of their budding football careers. After the six-man shoot-out and with his team huddled in the center of the field, Lone Peak head coach Tony Beardsley looked at his players, “Well, now you know what it’s like to get hit.”

Despite the somewhat lopsided score, the first-football-game-ever party did not appear to be spoiled by the visitors. The Big Horns treated the ski-based community and its large gathering of fans to a kickoff return, a touchdown pass and several big plays from its defense.


Open, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Along with Red Lodge, the Lone Peak gridiron is one of the more scenic settings for a football game with its mountainous landscape encompassing the field and school. I hope they don’t install lights anytime soon.

Other Games
A welcoming congratulations goes out to the victorious Darby Tigers and the Hot Springs Savage Heat in their first eight-man and six-man games respectively.

Chinook and Superior… big wins over competitive conference foes. Will it be a downhill run for them into the playoffs?

Alberton and Ekalaka… the newest six-man contenders joining the ranks of Denton, Savage and Big Sandy?

Dubois, Wyoming: America's Newest 6-Man Gem

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12 Players, Count 'em, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.The last time I saw a football game in Dubois, the home team could barely field an eleven-man team. There might have been three to four reserves on the sideline, and anytime a team’s bench is that thin, there’s bound to be someone who is reluctant for any action—a five-foot, four-inch, 115-pound freshman in particular.

Beginning this season, for better or worse, the Dubois Rams are amongst Wyoming’s six-man ranks. Personally, I think it’s a good fit.

Unlike many “six-man towns” I’ve visited, Dubois is a big town. In the last census, they notched 971 residents. In my travels, six-man communities are typically between 200 and 300 residents. Yet, the high school enrollment (9-12) at Dubois is a mere 54, which is right in the ballpark of a six-man program. Might we draw up a theory or two from these numbers regarding Dubois and its residents? One: there are an unusual number of households without children. Two: Many of these childless households are retired folks. Whether I’m right or wrong in my novice demographic analysis here doesn’t really matter. What matters is the Rams have a great fan base to draw on, and should they continue in winning, I suspect attendance could be daunting for home games.

Despite moving down in class, Dubois has at least one outstanding item to improve upon. Most shocking to me was the absence of game programs. Just to be sure, I asked around. I’ve seen many football games over the years in some of the poorest and smallest school districts, but never have I attended a game where programs weren’t waiting for spectators at the gate. Hopefully this was just a one-time slip up at Dubois. Small town high school football has much charm in the things that are not present, but found in larger class games. I’d like to think that missing programs are not one of those charms.


PAT4 Rattlers, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.As it turned out, program or no program, I was pretty stoked to be attending this particular game in Dubois, nestled up to the Wind River mountain range. My excitement had nothing to do with Dubois hosting their first home game as a six-man team or the fact that the Rams were ranked number-two and were about to battle Little Snake River, the number-one ranked team. Nope, it was because the game was on Saturday.

It’s been a lament of mine for years when it comes to attending Wyoming small town high school football games. In the past, if a game wasn’t on Friday night because a school didn’t have lights, they would hold their games on Thursday or Friday afternoons—never Saturdays like Montana—which was always extremely prohibitive for me working on Fridays. Even attending a game as close as Burlington (only 40 miles away) has required some conniving and/or sacrifice in the past. But here in the last couple of years (and maybe it has something to do with the formation of the six-man class), there are more games played on Saturday afternoons. So, I’m tipping my hat to the all the schools embracing Saturday games as well as the Wyoming High School Activities Association—I’m sure they’ve had something to do with this new scheduling trend too.

By the way, this particular game at Dubois was not only on Saturday, but at 3:00 instead of 1:00—providing even more cushion for travel time.

On a final and unrelated note… What are we to make of Tongue River’s woes? Playing in Wyoming’s 2A eleven-man class, the Eagles have forfeit their season because not enough kids signed up to play.Those students who did sign up are playing down the road with their 2A rival, Big Horn.

More Brawls In The Beartooths... please

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Tyler South, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Four years ago I ventured down to Texas to see some real six-man football. It was the first week of the season and a little town called Jayton was hosting an entire day of six-man football games—four in all, that started at 10:00 in the morning and finished with a night-cap game featuring the hometown team. It was called the Jayton Gridiron Classic.

I remember thinking back then, “Montana should do something like this for Class C—eight-man and/or six-man.”

A year later, Ennis (fresh into their first eight-man season in years) hosted a double header featuring Absarokee and Philipsburg in the opener and the hometown Mustangs taking on White Sulphur Springs for the nightcap. Thoughts of Jayton the year before came back to me, but it just wasn’t quite the same.

This past weekend, Absarokee did the same thing that Ennis did back in 2009 except they took it one step further. Their eight-man double header was given a name: The Brawl In the Beartooths. And they did one smart marketing trick: they included a game between two teams that are expected to do well this year—Fairview and Ennis.

If you ask me, the folks in Absarokee are on to something—and hopefully something even bigger next year. Absarokee is one of those great football locations with a nice flavoring of tradition too. And, what better place to begin a new season of football.

Perhaps next year’s “Brawl” will be like Jayton’s four game juggernaut. And why not include a game or two of six-man action as part of the lineup? “Brawl In The Beartooths” T-shirts? Oh yeah!

BTW: The Jayton Gridiron Classic runs the course of three days now and has expanded to seven games. This year's dates are August 30 – September 1.

Rising Up To Pinedale

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Fist Bump, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.After umpteen years of attending small town high school football games, one would think that I’ve been everywhere there is in the two states of Wyoming and Montana but, it’s just not true.

When it comes to Montana Class C football, I’ve been absent for games in Victor, St. Regis, Hot Springs, Culbertson-Bainville, Froid-Medicine Lake, Darby, Box Elder, Lambert-Richey, Cascade and Valier… and those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

In Wyoming, it’s the same story but the small schools are defined as those playing 2A or lower. Starting with the smallest schools playing six-man, Midwest and Guernsey-Sunrise are still not represented in my portfolio. In 1A, I have yet to attend a game at Wyoming Indian, Saratoga, Upton, Southeast, Pine Bluffs, Normative Services, Lusk or Lingle-Ft. Laramie.

Despite this blatant negligence on my part, I can say that most of the schools listed above, I have actually been to their gridirons—just not during game days.

So, I’m delighted to announce here that this past weekend I added another notch to my football belt in a trip to Pinedale for a contest between the 2A Wranglers and the 1A Rebels of Riverside (Basin).

The one thing I truly cherish about the 2A class in Wyoming is that it represents the largest tally of schools in all of Wyoming’s classes. So, if anyone can say they are a “state champ” in Wyoming, it is the team that takes the 2A title—unless they are beaten by a 1A school during the regular season (this might be a good opportunity to read up on Cokeville).


Just The Grand, by mdt1960Like West Yellowstone, Montana, the best way to get to Pinedale from my home in Powell is through the Park—Yellowstone National Park that is. And since Pinedale is south of the Park, I also passed through Grand Teton National Park. Excuse me if I sound as if I’m boasting here but, I’m confident few people are lucky enough to drive through places as scenic as Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks on their way to a high school football game.

When it comes to Pinedale, it is unique in its elevation. Walking around town or on the artificial turf of Sonny Korfanta Field, one might experience a shortness of breath given the town is listed at nearly 7,200 feet. So, I wondered: Do the Wranglers have an advantage, especially when other teams are visiting, hailing from locations under 5,000 feet—like Riverside (Basin) where the elevation is a mere 3,900 feet? According to head coach Allen Johnson, he’s never known elevation to be an issue for their visiting opponents. Whether elevation was a factor or not, the Wranglers were impressive in their 31-0 shutout over the Rebels from Riverside. Further, for this 52-year-old who normally resides at 4,300 feet, I felt there was a formidable difference when I ran my routine eight laps at the track the next day in Pinedale.

Lastly, in all of my visits to various small town high school football venues, Pinedale’s Sonny Korfanta Field was my first with artificial turf. A Pinedale statistician on the sidelines told me he expects more schools around the state to install artificial turf in the near future. If that’s the case, one has to wonder, which school will be the first in Wyoming to have a non-green turf?

A Brush With Small Town Greatness

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Anthem Antics, a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Related to the full moon, her text message said, “Moonlight is magical and brings you either luck or insanity.”

As a photographer, it’s a bit uncanny how the faces of these players stay with you through the years. You might not notice them when you’re walking down a street in any given town, but when you’re back in their small home towns—where they played football—it’s not unreasonable to think that you might bump into them… say, eight years later.

I was carrying on with my invisible act as I often do when I’m in public places and I don’t really know anyone. I hesitated about it, but before leaving Hysham, Montana, after the game, I decided to have a cold beer at one of the local watering holes. I sat at an empty high table—the kind fitted with the high chairs/stools—minding my own business and watching the interaction of the locals unfold. Several young men gravitated to my table but were facing toward the bar across from me. The next thing I knew, more gathered around which included sitting on my side of the table next to me. Suddenly, it appeared as if I was one of the gang.

The young man that sat next to me became recognizable almost right away thanks to friends calling out to him as “Scotty” and “Schultzy.”

I took a hard look and knew it was Scott Schultz, the great Hysham fullback and linebacker that lead the Pirates to a playoff appearance in 2004. They were a gutsy eight-man team with only 12 players and still managed to fight their way into the playoffs that year. After easily defeating Scobey in the first round, Schultz and his teammates gave perennial favorite Centerville the biggest scare in the quarterfinals, dominating the entire first half before succumbing to exhaustion and injuries (Schultz included) in the second half. It was a controversial game as well with questionable calls by the officials while fans from both sides became irate with one another. Had the Hysham team stayed healthy, they surely would have seen another playoff game the following week.

Earlier in the evening on my way to the six-man game between Hysham and Westby-Grenora, one of the ticket-takers shared with me how many of the kids that graduated from Hysham over the years headed for the good-paying jobs in the Bakken oil field rather than college—Schultz was one of them, she had said.


Looking Down On Big "H", a photo by mdt1960 on Flickr.Nearly finished with my beer, my invisible guard must have broke down as Schultz turned to me and asked where I was from. Like most of the crowd, I detected in his face that he probably already had a couple of drinks and so, I contemplated if it really mattered where I was from. I told him Powell, Wyoming and that I was just heading home. He followed up thoughtfully with, “That’s not too far to go.”

Knowing the conversation wouldn’t last much longer, I said, “You were number 32, weren’t you?” He seemed puzzled, but after clarifying that I spoke of his football number, he confirmed it was his jersey number. I then told him I’d seen him play in Ekalaka, Terry and Centerville. One of the guys across the table overheard me and said something akin to, “He must be stalking you Scotty.”

I handed Schultz one of my cards for good measure.

Referring to the Centerville game, Scott said, “We don’t talk about that game around here.”

Feeling like one of Clint Eastwood’s senior citizen characters I simply said, “You guys were one hell of a team,” as I rose from my chair. I patted him on the shoulder as I walked past and said, “Take care of yourself.” I placed the empty beer bottle on the bar and walked out.

I smiled all the way out the door and later laughed as I was driving out of town heading toward the interstate but, I’m unsure why. Perhaps it was just dumb luck in meeting up with one of these players from so long ago. Or maybe it was knowing that he might have sat there for a minute after I left—considering his own sanity—thinking in a somewhat inebriated state, “What the hell was that all about?”

Whatever it was, whatever had just happened it made me smile with an overwhelming sense of happiness. I knew it was magical, and there was the full moon above to remind me.

Jack Daniel's parent company picks Ala. for mill

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STEVENSON, Ala. (AP) - Alabama is getting jobs tied to Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.
Jack Daniel's parent company, Brown-Forman Corp., has announced plans to open a mill in Stevenson that will produce white oak material for whiskey barrels. The vice president of Brown-Forman Cooperage, Greg Roshkowski, says dozens of sites were considered in the Tennessee Valley before deciding on Stevenson. He said the area has an abundant supply of white oak logs. The new mill is supposed to employ more than 30 people.
The president of the Jackson County Economic Development Authority, Dus Rogers, says the northeast Alabama county is getting an employer with a name known around the world.
Brown-Forman Cooperage currently operates mills in Jackson, Ohio, and Clifton, Tenn.

Oak Grove High School student charged with capital murder in parents' slaying

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Share Email Print  Drew Brennan Thacker (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Alabama - A 17-year-old Oak Grove High School student is formally charged with capital murder in the slaying of his parents.
Jefferson County sheriff's deputies obtained the warrant this afternoon against Drew Brennan Thacker.
Thacker is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian.
"A kid murdering anyone is hard to understand but to take the lives of his own parents is pretty twisted," Christian said. "God rest their souls. Our hearts and prayers go out to the surviving brother and extended family members."
Deputies were called to the home in the 9900 block of Taylor's Ferry Road just after 9 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a shooting.
They discovered the bodies of Ronnie and Barbara Thacker, ages 53 and 55, dead inside the home. Both had been shot in the head with a .45-caliber pistol, which was recovered from inside the home.
Drew Thacker's brother, 20-year-old Luke Thacker, told deputies his brother called him at 3:30 p.m. and asked if he wanted to go get something to eat. His brother acted normal while they were at a fast-food restaurant, Luke Thacker told deputies, like nothing had happened. The two then went to visit friends.
When they got home around 9 p.m., they pulled up to the home. The suspect told his brother not to go inside. When he asked why, the suspect told him he had shot and had killed their parents.
The brothers got into a physical altercation, Christian said. The suspect told him they had pushed him too far and he could not take it anymore.
The other brother ran next door to ask for help, and the suspect fled in his father's truck. Drew Thacker was taken into custody a short time later at an Adger home.

East Meck soccer upsets No. 4 Myers Park

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By Corey Inscoe 
cinscoe@charlotteobserver.com

East Mecklenburg boys’ soccer coach Joel Edde played at Myers Park. He coached at Myers Park. And Tuesday night, his Eagles beat Myers Park.

East Meck (7-7, 4-5) upset the No. 4 ranked team in the 4A coaches poll and the top team in the Southwestern 4A conference 2-1 at home. It was the first time Edde, a second year coach at East Meck, had beaten his high school team.

“They’re the big dog in the conference. They’re what everyone in the conference wants to be,” Edde said. “To beat them is a dream for these boys that have been working hard. ...

“For our first huge win to be against Myers Park is obviously special.”

Neither team scored in the first half and Edde felt good about the way his team played the first 40 minutes, keeping a Mustang team that had won seven straight games scoreless.

“We finally put together 40 minutes of team ball,” Edde said. “I went to the halftime talk and all I could do was smile.”

Myers Park (10-3, 7-2) was aggressive to begin the second half and Kipp Carriker scored for the Mustangs off a free kick early in the half.

Myers Park’s 1-0 lead held through much of the half before East Meck’s Richard Ceu evened the score off a David Marvin throw in.

The Eagles took the lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game when a Marvin shot deflected into the goal.

“This is the most resilient bunch of boys I’ve ever coached,” Edde said. “We go down, it seems like, every game but they never quit and they’ll fight until that last whistle.”

Myers Park had quality scoring opportunities throughout the game but only one made it past East Meck goalkeeper Kevin Aguilera.

“They kept us out of the net,” Myers Park coach Bucky McCarley said. “We had what I believed to be really good opportunities to put that game away in the first half and then again in the second half and ... this is the classic we failed to finish.”

The East Meck players stormed the field in celebration after the win. Edde knows that the victory was big for his program, but he doesn’t want the Eagles to just be known as the team that upset Myers Park.

“Our ultimate goal is to make it to the playoffs,” Edde said. “We have eight seniors and not a single one of them has been to the playoffs so I want to make sure that we’re moving in the right direction and getting those seniors their due reward for all of their hard work.”

Inscoe: 704-358-5923; Twitter: @CoreyInscoe

Wiggins, Tocho named to N.C. Shrine Bowl roster

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Butler linebacker Sean Wiggins and Independence defensive back Jack Tocho were selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas for the North Carolina team. Porter Ridge kicker Matt Wogan was also selected.

The rosters were announced Wednesday afternoon. (See below for the full N.C. roster.)

The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 15 at Wofford College.

The most glaring thing about the roster is that Wiggins was the only Butler player selected, not quarterback Riley Ferguson, linebacker Peter Kalambayi, wide receiver Uriah LeMay or running back Josh Glisson, just to name a few.

My best guess is that one, or more, of them was invited but opted out of this game. That, or they weren't nominated. High school players are limited to just two all star games under N.C. High School Athletic Association rules. LeMay, for one, is already set to play in the Semper Fidelis Marines All-America game in January.

The full North Carolina roster:

Last Name	First Name	High School
Phillips	Kalif	A. L. Brown
Johnson	Keeon	A. L. Brown
Prince	R.J.	Albemarle
Oliver	Demetrius	Ashbrook
Beecher	B.J.	Concord
Rogers Jr.	Dane	Crest
Patterson	Quinton	Crest
Wiggins	Sean	David W. Butler
Blankenship	Cole	Davie County
Lewis	Garry	Douglas Byrd Senior
Blair	Chris	East Forsyth
Clay	Aaron	Eastern Alamance
Thorb	Tim	Garner Magnet
Roane	Patrick	Gray’s Creek
Coplon	A.J.	Havelock
Cooper	Pharoh	Havelock
Wilson	Daryl	Hendersonville
Francis	Khris	Hillside
Wiggins	Korrin	Hillside
Neal	Lewis	Hunt
Tocho	Jack	Independence
Walker	Brian	Mallard Creek
Matau	Christian	New Bern
Logan	T.J.	Northern Guilford
Mann	Dequaivs	Northern Nash
Wogan	Matt	Porter Ridge
Covington	Devante	Richmond Senior
Crowder	Tyrone	Richmond Senior
Jones	Nazair	Roanoke Rapids
Diggs	Malik	Scotland
Robinson	Artemis	Scotland
McCauley	Eric	Shelby
Smith	Lachasten	South Iredell
Starnes	Jordan	South Stanly
Gilmore	Greg	South View
Mumford	Tristan	Statesville
Parker	Carlis	Statesville
Deleon	Jeff	T. C. Roberson
Suber	Noah	T. C. Roberson
Lewis	Tyquan	Tarboro
Gould	Ryan	West Forsyth
Dueitt	Blake	William A. Hough
Donaldson	Kirk	Zebulon Vance
Braynt	Larenz	Zebulon Vance

Thousands of Peanuts Spilled onto Highway 90

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(ST. ELMO, Ala.) - There may be a peanut shortage nationwide, but you wouldn't know it driving down Highway 90 in St. Elmo Tuesday afternoon.
People in the area say a truck hauling peanuts dropped its load near the St. Elmo Feed and Seed store, sending thousands of peanuts onto the highway for about a half mile.
It was a mad scramble to scoop up the peanuts. Some folks were looking for a snack, while several took more than a hundred pounds.
"We stopped at the store to get gas and they said no, a truck lost its load of peanuts, and we just started laughing. Everybody's out here grabbing peanuts, it looks like Mardi Gras," said Lisa Seymour.
The Alabama Department of Transportation is helping to clean up all the peanuts.

Jack Daniel's parent company picks Ala. for mill

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STEVENSON, Ala. (AP) - Alabama is getting jobs tied to Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.
Jack Daniel's parent company, Brown-Forman Corp., has announced plans to open a mill in Stevenson that will produce white oak material for whiskey barrels. The vice president of Brown-Forman Cooperage, Greg Roshkowski, says dozens of sites were considered in the Tennessee Valley before deciding on Stevenson. He said the area has an abundant supply of white oak logs. The new mill is supposed to employ more than 30 people.
The president of the Jackson County Economic Development Authority, Dus Rogers, says the northeast Alabama county is getting an employer with a name known around the world.
Brown-Forman Cooperage currently operates mills in Jackson, Ohio, and Clifton, Tenn.

Oak Grove High School student charged with capital murder in parents' slaying

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Share Email Print  Drew Brennan Thacker (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Alabama - A 17-year-old Oak Grove High School student is formally charged with capital murder in the slaying of his parents.
Jefferson County sheriff's deputies obtained the warrant this afternoon against Drew Brennan Thacker.
Thacker is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian.
"A kid murdering anyone is hard to understand but to take the lives of his own parents is pretty twisted," Christian said. "God rest their souls. Our hearts and prayers go out to the surviving brother and extended family members."
Deputies were called to the home in the 9900 block of Taylor's Ferry Road just after 9 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a shooting.
They discovered the bodies of Ronnie and Barbara Thacker, ages 53 and 55, dead inside the home. Both had been shot in the head with a .45-caliber pistol, which was recovered from inside the home.
Drew Thacker's brother, 20-year-old Luke Thacker, told deputies his brother called him at 3:30 p.m. and asked if he wanted to go get something to eat. His brother acted normal while they were at a fast-food restaurant, Luke Thacker told deputies, like nothing had happened. The two then went to visit friends.
When they got home around 9 p.m., they pulled up to the home. The suspect told his brother not to go inside. When he asked why, the suspect told him he had shot and had killed their parents.
The brothers got into a physical altercation, Christian said. The suspect told him they had pushed him too far and he could not take it anymore.
The other brother ran next door to ask for help, and the suspect fled in his father's truck. Drew Thacker was taken into custody a short time later at an Adger home.

Charlotte Latin volleyball beats rival Country Day 3-0

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By Corey Inscoe

Charlotte Latin volleyball coach Suzie Pignetti said her team battled nerves in its match against conference rival Charlotte Country Day and had an “up and down” performance Thursday.

That performance was still enough for the Hawks (20-1) to beat Country Day (22-2) 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-21) and move to 2-0 in Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association play.

“I think we had some nerves going on. I’m glad that we pushed forward and did what we have to do to win,” said Pignetti.

Latin’s two hard-hitting outside hitters led the way offensively. Senior Eve Davis led the team with 19 kills and junior Kellie Williams added nine kills and led the team with 14 digs. Senior setter Emma Price controlled the offense with 29 assists.

“Eve always comes ready to play,” said Pignetti. “She’s definitely, with Kellie Williams, our go-to players and people know that and they still can’t stop them. They’re kind of nice weapons to have.”

Country Day never had a lead in the match and only tied the Hawks three times during the three sets. The Bucs were able to stay close early in each of the sets but could never put together enough points to take a lead.

Latin finished the first set on a 10-3 run and had a 6-0 runs in the middle of the second and third sets to pull away.

An abnormally high amount of serving errors (13 in the match) plagued the Bucs throughout, cutting short Country Day runs.

“We’ve never missed this many serves ... so that was a little frustrating,” said Rosen. “I feel like everyone just had their worst serving day at the same time.”

Rosen still felt like his team played well. Sophomore Katharine Franz led the team with 10 kills and sophomore Taylor Portland had nine. Senior Megan Lewis had 26 assists for the Bucs and senior Mattie Newson had 16 digs.

Country Day hasn’t beaten Latin, or even won a set, in the four years that Rosen has been coaching the Bucs. Rosen hopes his team can continue to improve after the loss.

“I feel like we can definitely take positives away from this, knowing that areas where we were worst in today (serving and receiving) are our strengths,” said Rosen. “I don’t see those mistakes happening again.”

Latin has won eight straight N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state championships and has a good chance of winning a ninth, but the Hawks rely on two freshman starters, Dalila Mendygaziyeva and Chanin Scott. Pignetti hopes they continue to gain confidence as the season continues.

“We’re still trying to grow every day in practice and bring our young kids up,” she said. “We’re not done yet.”

Video of Charlotte Country Day's football win over Ravenscroft

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Four videos from Charlotte Country Day's 41-7 win over Raleigh Ravenscroft are posted on YouTube.

The videos are uploaded by a person who seems to be the video operator for Ravenscroft.

The first clip (15 minutes long) shows the beginning of the game, including Michael Radford's long touchdown pass to Tripp Mulligan and the Buccaneers next touchdown.



The second video (15 minutes) features another long touchdown pass for Country Day, this time to Byron Smith. (It's followed by student commentary about Instagram and hashtags.) It also shows Radford's short touchdown run before halftime and continues into the third quarter.



The third video is only 23 seconds long, but the final video (11 minutes) goes to the end of the game.

Butler overwhelms Ardrey Kell 49-0

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By Corey Inscoe
cinscoe@charlotteobserver.com

Butler relied on stifling defense and explosive offense to win 49-0 at Southwestern 4A rival Ardrey Kell.

The Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0) are averaging 48.9 points per game and have only given up 31 points all season.

Butler came into the game missing four starters, including senior quarterback Riley Ferguson, who has been out with a broken hand.

Senior Zach Gross started in place of Ferguson and was 10-for-15 for 197 yards and one touchdown in the first half. Sophomore Anthony Ratliff took over in the second half and continued the success in through the air, going 3-for-7 for 49 yards and two touchdowns.

The two quarterbacks completed passes to six different receivers.

“The big thing for them is they’ve both been preparing like they’re starters,” said Butler head coach Brian Hales. “It’s such a blessing to be around those guys. ... I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Senior running back Josh Glisson scored both first quarter touchdowns for the Bulldogs, first on a 3-yard run with 5 minutes left in the quarter and again on a 16-yard run at the end of the first to give Butler a 14-0 lead.

Glisson finished with 42 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.

“If there’s a tougher kid in Charlotte I haven’t seen him,” Hales said about Glisson. “He just runs and runs and if you throw him the ball he’s going to catch it. He breaks tackles and he’s just great.”

Less than three minutes into the second quarter, Butler wide receiver Uriah LeMay scored on a 65-yard run. LeMay ran to the Ardrey Kell sideline near midfield, then cut back all the way to the other sideline to score.

After Butler recovered an Ardrey Kell (4-3, 1-3) fumble, the Bulldogs scored again on a 11-yard run by Gross.

With 1 minute, 48 seconds left in the half, Gross found LeMay with a 63-yard touchdown pass. Butler led 35-0 at halftime.

Butler’s two second half touchdowns came on passes by Ratliff. The sophomore hit LeMay for a 20-yard score in the third quarter and connected with Austin Varipapa from 10 yards out in the fourth quarter.

The Butler defense allowed just 29 yards in the first half, 300 less than the Butler offense had before halftime. In addition to the fumble recovery, Butler had interceptions from Tyler Rohrbach and David Moore.

“I see them everyday and I’m just more impressed with them every time I see them,” Hales said about his defense.

Inscoe: 704-358-5923; Twitter: @CoreyInscoe

South Charlotte scores and top performers: Week 8

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Top performers, Week 8: 

Bryon Fields, WR/KR/DB, Providence Day: Where do I start? Fields set a school record with 210 receiving yards on five passes, two for touchdowns. He also had a 47-yard punt return for a score, an interception he returned for a score and three tackles against rival Charlotte Latin.

Dequan Barnes, WR, Jack Tocho, DB, Independence: Barnes caught eight passes for 173 yards and five touchdowns and Tocho had two interceptions, returning one 86 yards for a touchdown, to lead the Patriots to a 54-7 win over South Mecklenburg.

Michael Radford, QB, Charlotte Country Day: Radford's first two passes combined for 132 yards and two touchdowns. His first rush went for 92 yards and a touchdown. He finished with seven carries for 139 yards and was 5-for-8 passing with 176 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-15 rout of Davidson Day.

Week 8 scores: 

Butler 49, Ardrey Kell 0 - My pick: Butler
Independence 54, South Mecklenburg 7 - My pick: Independence
Providence 28, Myers Park 21 - My pick: Providence
Rocky River 7, East Mecklenburg 0 - My pick: Rocky River
Charlotte Catholic 41, Harding 13 - My pick: Charlotte Catholic
Charlotte Christian 28, Carolina Pride 6 - My pick: Charlotte Christian
Charlotte Country Day 56, Davidson Day 15 - My pick: Charlotte Country Day
Providence Day 65, Charlotte Latin 7 - My pick: Providence Day