To speak .
INDEX Feature Events Opinion Obits COVID Update Sports Arkadelphian
No. 6
Vol. 3
September 23, 2021
Ouachita’s Pruet School of Christian Studies to co-host annual Pastors’ Conference today Madison McGhee OBU News Bureau
In partnership with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Ouachita Baptist University’s Pruet School of Christian Studies will host its annual Pastors’ Conference on Thursday, Sept. 23, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in Walker Conference Center on the Ouachita campus.
Titled “Psalms: The Character of God,” the conference will feature two speakers from the Pruet School. Dr. Danny Hays, dean emeritus of the Pruet School and professor emeritus of Biblical studies, and Dr. Doug Nykolaishen, professor of Biblical studies, are both noted Old Testament scholars. Attendees can purchase Dr. Hays’ and Dr. Nyko-
laishen’s, published books at a discount. Dr. Jeremy Greer, dean of the Pruet School, explains that the conference provides pastors and church leaders “a wonderful opportunity to be with other pastors and gain a rich, practical takeaway for your own congregation.” Registration is open online through Mon-
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day, Sept. 20. The cost is $70 for pastors and ministers, $50 for current Ouachita and Williams Baptist University students and $20 for spouses (meals only). Payment is accepted online and on the day of the event. Find out more and register at obu.edu/pconf.
Photo courtesy of OBU News Bureau OBU's Pruet School of Christian Studies and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention are co-hosting an annual pastor's conference today at the Walker Conference Center from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference will focus on "Psalms: The Character of God."
From Afghanistan to Arkansas Asa Hutchinson AR Governor
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson issued the following statement on the resettlement of Afghan refugees in Arkansas. “I received notification from the White House that Arkansas has been allotted up to 98 Afghan refugee cases. While we are waiting on specific information, I
have been briefed on the heightened security vetting and comprehensive health screenings, intake, and vaccinations that are being implemented by our federal partners. We are expecting Afghan refugees in the near future, with more coming as they are assigned to the resettlement agencies in the state by their national parent organizations. Refugee relocation is being assisted
Fair enough Blanton Matthews Comics Reporter
by faith-based organizations and local sponsors so refugees will successfully integrate into life in Arkansas. “These refugees have supported the United States over the past 20 years. We want to help relocate these allies for their protection and the protection of their families from the sure peril they will face if they remain in Afghanistan.”
The previously annual Clark County Fair returned at full tilt last week on Wednesday, Sept. 15, after events faced an unprecedented total cancellation in 2020 due to, of course, the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and ran until Saturday, Sept. 18. The fair boasted a typical lineup of events and exhibits; art contests, commercial booths, livestock on display, rodeo, and classic carnival rides. “It was great to have the fair back on this year and have such a tremendous 5:30 p.m. to 7. The first 100 custom- turnout,” said fair organizer ers to purchase a cake at the new store will receive either a free Mini Blizzard or Grillburger every week for a year.
DQ in A-Town Lance Brownfield Editor-in-Chief
The queen is coming to town. The Dairy Queen, that is. The new Dairy Queen in
Arkadelphia is set to open this Saturday, Sept. 25, at 10 a.m. The store will be located at 3005 Pine Street. As a part of the momentous day, there will be free face painting for kids from
Photo by Emberlynn Pendergraft The new Dairy Queen in Arkadelphia is located at 3005 Pine Street next to ACE Hardware. It will be open Saturday, Sept. 25 at 10 a.m.
Jennifer Hawthorn. The largely outdoor fair had little in the way of COVID safety protocols, nothing like mask requirements or vaccination mandates for volunteers, and considering the all-volunteer nature of the fair, it would probably have been difficult at best to enforce any such policies. However, organizers did place dispensers of hand sanitizer spread throughout the fairgrounds and posted signs in windows offering definitions and advice based on CDC guidelines. There may have been fewer carnival rides and attractions than in some years of recent past, such as the notable absence of
the large fun house. Some of the present rides looked to be newer models such as the Ferris wheel with a programmed color-changing light arrangement that made for an impressive sight as far away as the back of the parking lot. There were also fewer commercial exhibitors as in times before the pandemic. “The last year and a half have taken its toll on many small businesses,” said Hawthorn. Still, Hawthorn described the turnout as having record-setting numbers for each night of the fair. It seems people were ready for some long-overdue fair play.
Photo by Blanton Matthews The Clark County Fair was busy and featured some upgraded rides this year, although there was not much by way of COVID regulations.
Info from Weather.com
FRI - Sep 24 sunny
SAT - Sep 25 partly cloudy
SUN - Sep 26 sunny
MON - Sep 27 mostly sunny
TUE - Sep 28 mostly sunny
WED - Sep 29 mostly sunny
THU - Sep 30 mostly sunny
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86o 56
87o 57
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Precipitation: 6% Wind: SSW 6 mph Humidity: 75%
Precipitation: 4% Wind: WNW 5 mph Humidity: 75%
Precipitation: 5% Wind: SW 6 mph Humidity: 73%
Precipitation: 5% Wind: WSW 7 mph Humidity: 78%
Precipitation: 13% Wind: NNW 6 mph Humidity: 77%
Precipitation: 16% Wind: NE 6 mph Humidity: 78%
Precipitation: 20% Wind: NE 7 mph Humidty: 85%
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2 News
"Paper Routes" around Arkansas Emberlynn Pendergraft
Contributing Reporter
Immediately after stepping into the Russell Fine Art (RFA) gallery, individuals are greeted by a sprawling display of color, texture, and... beetles. From Aug. 24 to Sept. 22, the RFA Gallery hosted an exhibition currently being toured across Arkansas thanks to the Arkansas Committee of the National Museum Of Women in the Arts (ACNMWA). The show is aptly named “Paper Routes,” and it contains pieces from four female artists as a part of the 2021 Arkansas Women to Watch exhibition. It’s the sixth installment in the NMWA Women to watch series, and it flaunts a total of eight works displayed, all exploring the use of paper as a medium. The largest piece in the exhibition is “All That I love” by Joli Livaudais. It includes over 1,400 origami scarab beetles covering the walls, floor, and ceiling. In a Zoom meeting held by the Russell Fine Arts Gallery director, Margo Duvall, Livaudais said, “The very first beetle I made took me three hours to make. I spent all of my
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Thursday, September 23, 2021
free time folding beetles. Some people knit; I was folding beetles. Sitting in front of a tv; I’m folding beetles. In a staff meeting; I’m folding beetles.” The 1,400 beetles took Livaudais two years to complete. Each beetle is made out of personal photographs taken by Livaudais or her close friends and family. “My work is often about a type of spiritual journey and trying to figure out my place in the world,” said Livaudais. “When I started using other people’s photos and really spending time with the things they love, and they saw… I felt like everything they loved, and they cared about, I was taking to help me grow, emotionally, a little bigger than I had been before.” “All That I Love” was selected as ACNMWA’s Women to Watch national submission. The installation will be a part of an exhibition set to open on Oct. 8 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC. In the meantime, the piece will continue to be displayed in galleries across Arkansas alongside various works in the “Paper Routes” exhibition. One of these works is
“Rosebud Moments in Paper Planes,” a series of works created by Kim Brewer. According to Brewer’s artist statement, the piece began as an experiment in papermaking. It was created when Brewer examined the relationship between and the perpetual binding of accused individuals and their mugshots. All of the works in the series are created using pulp painting, a process using layers of dyed pulp and adhesive to create a visual depiction as a sheet of paper. “Each work began as a cropped image because I knew detail would be difficult,” said Brewer. “The title references ‘Citizen Kane,’ the notion that every person has a Rosebud, a moment, experience, memory, that no one knows but would explain a lot about a person’s character,” said Brewer. The Exhibit’s next stop is The Visual and Performing Arts Center at Fenix in Fayetteville, Arkansas. To learn more about the artists or “Paper Routes,” visit ACNMWA’s website www.acnmwa.org.
image: Freepik.com
Fall Events Upcoming Events September 22 Motorcycle Cannonball October 5-16 The Henderson State University Fine Art Department is proud to present Behind The Face by our graduating BSE candidate Mrs. Emily Blaylock. Emily Blaylock came to Henderson State University in 2018 from Malvern Arkansas. While enrolled at HSU, she has studied under the tutelage of Aaron Calvert, David Warren, and Kelsey Malone. Behind The Face is a culmination of these studies in ceramics and sculpture. According to Emily Blaylock, “My series, Behind The Face, asks the question of what truly is behind everyone’s faces.” The student gallery is located on the second floor of the Henderson State University Huie Library and the exhibit will be open for public view from Oct 5th through Oct 16th. For More information regarding Library hours, please visit http://library.hsu.edu or contact the Fine Art Department at (870)-230-5036.
Photo by Emberlynn Pendergraft
"All That I Love" by Joli Livaudais being displayed in the Russel Fine Arts Gallery.
COD: Vanguard Beta review
Recurring ♦♦♦ Friday Night Magic The Gathering - Atlas Gaming ♦♦♦ Alcoholics Anonymous hosts two meetings a week in Arkadelphia. The meetings are open to anyone interested in AA’s program of recovery. The Arkadelphia Group meets at 7 p.m. every Tues. in the Sturgis Building at North 9 and Caddo Streets. For more information on the Arkadelphia Group Meetings, call 870-403-3001. The U-Turn Group meets at 7 p.m. every Thurs. on the front, upper level of Park Hill Baptist Church, 3163 Hollywood Road. For information on that group’s meetings, call 870-230-2975 or 870-260-9277.
Photo courtesy of callofduty.com
Brett Thompson Contributing Reporter Call of Duty, the most popular first-person shooter (FPS) franchise of all time, is getting ready to release its next installment into the continuous catalogue of games. The game is titled “Call of Duty: Vanguard” and takes place during World War II, which has been the setting of many of the games. In preparation for the release of the game on Nov. 5, Activision has opened a beta version of the multiplayer game modes to allow players to test it out. The beta opened exclusively for all PlayStation players who had pre-ordered the game on Sept. 10 and lasted for three days. Then on Sept. 16, the beta was opened for Xbox and PC users who had pre-ordered the game. It was released for all platforms to play,
regardless of pre-order, on Sept. 18, and lasted another four days. The beta featured all of the normal aspects of the game that fans have come to expect. This included multiple recurring game modes coming back, such as Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination and Search & Destroy. Vanguard has also introduced two new game modes titled Champion Hill and Patrol. Champion Hill is a new tournament-style game mode, having multiple teams compete in a randomized order until only one remains. Patrol is a new take on the classic “Headquarters” mode, with the main difference being the objective is now constantly moving, rather than changing after a period of time. The gun selection is much different than it has been in the past two games,
using guns based in the World War II time period rather than those that are more modern, but none of it really stands out as new compared to weapons in the franchise as a whole. This includes iconic guns such as the MP-40, Bar and the M1928, better known as the Tommy Gun. The equipment is also of the time, with more basic weaponry like frag and smoke grenades, instead of C4 and semtex. “Call of Duty: Vanguard” so far doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the franchise other than the two new game modes. There have been multiple takes on World War II in these games, and this title even uses the same engine that “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” used in 2019. It will be interesting to see how the game changes and if it will bring anything new by the time of its release.
♦♦♦ With Late ‘til 8, local businesses stay open to 8:00 pm so that customers can shop and also win door prizes! this is a monthly event that happens every first Thursday of every month. ♦♦♦ Pediatrics Plus is excited to announce that our brand new facility is now open. Our new facility is located at 702 Hickory Street. The new facility offers includes a Developmental Preschool and Therapy Services that include: ABA, Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapy. In addition, our brand new, state-of-the-art facilities include a House Next Door suite which offers a homey feel for children learning daily living activities like cooking, feeding therapy, making the bed, getting dressed, and more! Other features of the new facility include a new playground, gross motor gym, high stimulation and low stimulation gyms, and a library! Enroll Now to get a spot in our new location! ♦♦♦ Al-Anon meetings, designed to help family and friends affected by alcohol, are held three days a week in the Arkadelphia area: • Tues. at 7 p.m., Sturgis Building, corner of 9 and Caddo. • 870-403-2019; Thurs. at 6:30 p.m., Park Hill Baptist Church. • 870-403-2019; Fri. at noon, Clark County Library, 609 Caddo St., side door. 512-750-2292.
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Dwight Lee "Satch" Ledbetter 6/7/46 - 9/17/21 Dw ig ht Le e “Sat ch” Ledbetter, Sr., 75, of Arkadelphia, passed from this life on Friday, September 17th at Baptist Medical CenterArkadelphia. Satch was born in New Albany, MS on June 7, 1946 to the late Herman C. and Eudell Huffstickler Ledbetter. He was a 1964 graduate of Myrtle(MS) High School and attended Ouachita Baptist University, where he was a standout pitcher on the baseball team. Satch’s love of baseball was obvious in his 20+years of volunteering, coaching and umpiring in the Arkadelphia Little League and Babe Ruth programs. Satch was a long-time mechanic in
Richard Burnett Thomas 9/8/58 - 9/14/21 Richard Burnett Thomas, age 63 of Arkadelphia, passed from this life on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at Arkansas Hospice at CHI St. Vincent in Hot Springs. He was born on September 8, 1958 in Jackson, MS, the son of the late Brower Bernard and Marion Thornton Thomas. Richard was a 1977 graduate of Arkadelphia High School. He was married to Charlotte Taylor for 28 years and they were blessed with five
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Obituaries Arkadelphia, and fixer of all things. He never met a stranger and would carry on a conversation with anyone. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Diane Tucker Ledbetter; his three children and their spouses, Shea Baxendale and her husband Greg(Pasquelli), Lee Ledbetter and his wife Shannon, Ryan Ledbetter and his wife Robyn; eight grandchildren, DJ(Kaley), Blake(Hanna), Bailey and Brooks Baxendale, Austin and Ethan Ledbetter, and Starling and Ginny Grace Ledbetter; and two greatgrandchildren, Beckett and Griffin Baxendale. He is also survived by his brother, LD Ledbetter; his sisters, Norma Morman, Theresia(Billy) Wise and Janice Ledbetter; his sister-in-law, Saundra McGalliard, and brother-
in-law, Troy(Kim)Tucker and and numerous nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Greg Baxendale, DJ Baxendale, Blake Baxendale, Brooks Baxendale, Austin Ledbetter, Ethan Ledbetter, Hugh Morman and David Morman. Graveside service will be 2pm, Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at Richwoods Cemetery with Bro. James Guthrie officiating. Visitation will be at Welch Funeral Home from 12-1:30 on Tuesday, before the service. The family will be gathering and receiving visitors at the Iron Mountain Skyline Cottages, Cottage #11, on Monday, September 20, 2021 from 6-8pm.
sons. He was the owner and operator of Richard Thomas Signs and attended New Life Church. Richard immersed himself in creating art and was a master in woodcraft. He loved to spend time in nature and was a collector of antiques and vintage signs. Born talented and kindhearted, Richard grew into a generous, spiritual man who loved to make others laugh. Although he faced many obstacles and challenges throughout his life, he stayed strong, worked hard, and always persevered. He will for ever remain in the hearts
of those he touched. Richard is survived by four sons, Joshua S Thomas of Poyen, AR, Richard M. Thomas of Ardmore, OK, Micah C. Thomas of Melbourne, FL, and William Noah Thomas of Kansas City, MO, two sisters, Allynn (Lynn) Thomas Judd of Bluffton, SC, and Catherine Thomas Conner of LaGrange, KY, his brother Clayton J. Thomas of Dahlonega, GA, and six grandchildren. In addition to his parents, Richard was preceded in death by his son, Jacob Aaron Thomas. The family will host a
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The family would like to extend a heartfelt, THANK YOU, to the nurses and staff at BMC-Arkadelphia and Baptist Hospice for their compassion and care during his final days. Memorials to Richwoods Cemetery Fund or Arkadelphia Baseball Commission.
Arkadelphia Mayor Scott Byrd 700 Clay Street Arkadelphia, AR 71923 (870) 246-6745 Arkadelphia Treasurer Shacresha Wilson (870) 246-9864 shacresha.wilson@ arkadelphia.gov Prosecuting Attorney Dan Turner 414 Court Street Arkadelphia, AR 71923 (870) 246-9868 dan.turner@ClarkAR.us Clark County Judge Troy Tucker 401 Clay Street Arkadelphia, AR 71923 (870) 246-5847 Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson 406 South 5th Street Arkadelphia, AR 71923 (870) 246-8859
memorial service at 2:00 pm on Friday, September 17, 2021 at New Life Church, with Bro. Martin Jones officiating. Memorials may be made to New Life church or the charity of your choice.
Arkansas Department of Health COVID-19 update
Governor Asa Hutchinson 250 State Capital Bldg. Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 682-2345
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge 323 Center Street, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 682-2007 State Senator Alan Clark P.O. Box 211 Lonsdale, AR 72087 (501) 844-6800 Congressman Bruce Westerman 130 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3772 U.S. Senator Tom Cotton B33 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3772 U.S. Senator John Boozman 1 Russell Courtyard Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-4843
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4 Sports
UPCOMING EVENTS
9/24 AHS football vs. Nashville (conference) 10/01 AHS football @ Robinson (conference) 10/08 AHS football vs. Fountain Lake (conference) 10/15 AHS football @ Haskell Harmony Grove (conference)
Thursday, September 23, 2021
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Henderson returns to GAC play against Tech Courtlin Haygarth HSU Sports After a brief stint in conference play, Henderson State opens its Great American Conference portion of the schedule with its next four contests coming against in-conference opponents. The Reddies get conference play started with a massive earlyseason conference bout against the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns inside Tucker Coliseum in Russellville, Arkansas, Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. Henderson State (112, 1-0) Henderson is currently sporting a seven-match win streak, during which it has posted three sweeps and has not allowed its opponent to pick up more than one set in each match.
In that stretch, HSU got its first GAC win after defeating Ouachita Baptist, 3-0. In the course of this winning streak, Mya Robinson has registered 83 kills and has posted three consecutive doubledoubles. Violeta Mendoza Quintana has seen 77 kills and has herself claimed three double-doubles. The Chihuahua, Mexico, native has carried an attack percentage greater than .220 in five of the seven matches. Makenzie Thoman and Taylor Scalzi keep moving their way up the record books, as Thoman has 1421 career digs after posting 73 in this past weekend's Reddie-Tiger Invitational. The junior libero is currently eighth all-time. Scalzi moved up a slot on the all-time set assists list over the weekend, now
sitting at ninth with 1601 career assists. As a team, the Reddies' defense has been what has led them thus far as they are first in the GAC in opponent hitting percentage with .117 and first in blocks with 116 on the season. Kaitlyn Sykes and Brae Denton hold the top two spots in the conference with 51 and 50 total blocks, respectively. On the offensive side of the ball, Henderson is third in the conference in hitting percentage with .230, a mere .006 behind secondplace Harding. Christiane Uzoh is fourth among the league leaders, hitting .324 through 13 matches. Last season, both of Henderson State and Arkansas Tech's regular season matchups were instant classics, with both going five sets before the home team won each
10/22 AHS football vs. Ashdown (conference)
Arkadelphia Badgers oraclecommunityedition@gmail.com.
1-2 0-0 21-22 8-2 38-27 2020
vs. Current record Current conference 2019 game score 2020 record playoff record last playoff appearance
meeting. Tech was able to get the last laugh, however, as they knocked the Reddies out of the GAC Tournament in the quarterfinals. In the overall series, the Golden Suns lead the way, 31-21. The last 10 matchups have been fairly evenly split, with ATU getting the slight nod at 6-4. Winning inside Tucker Coliseum has been a tall task for HSU, however, as the Reddies are 6-12 alltime in Russellville. Henderson State currently holds the top spot in the GAC, which is one spot ahead of Arkansas Tech, who is currently second.
Union Invitational, a team Henderson also swept earlier this month. Emily Ragsdale leads the Golden Suns as she is third in the GAC with a .329 hitting percentage as she is second on her squad with 76 kills. Tymber Riley leads Tech with 97 kills, averaging 2.77 per set for tenth in the conference. On the outside looking in, this match will be a defensive battle, as Arkansas Tech is third in the GAC in blocks and opponent hitting percentage compared to HSU's first-place hold in each of those categories.
Scouting Arkansas Tech (7-3, 1-0)
-Henderson State, after dropping its first road match of the season, has won both of its road matches by a combined score of 6-0. On the other side, Arkansas Tech has won four straight home matches, with its last loss inside Tucker Coliseum coming on Feb. 23, 2021.
Arkansas Tech is sporting its own winning streak coming into this conference battle, having won four in a row, including a 3-2 victory over GAC-foe Arkansas-Monticello. In ATU's last outing, it swept Christian Brothers in the
What To Watch For…
Nashville Scrappers 2-1 0-0 22-21 9-3 87-34 2020 Photo courtesy of hsusports.com
The Reddies volleyball team has celebrated one of the best starts to a season in recent history.
www.arkadelphian.com
Lady Badger volleyball bouncing back OBU Sports Journalism Class The Arkadelphian Through the first 13 matches of the season, the themes for a young Arkadelphia volleyball squad have been growth
and improvement. In the weeks to come, the 6-6-1 Lady Badgers will look to continue those trends as they enter into the meat of the 4A-West conference schedule. The Lady Badgers started out with six
Mayor Byrd to ride in Motorcycle Cannonball Joel Phelps The Arkadelphian
The Motorcycle Cannonball 2021 will be making an official route stop in Arkadelphia on Wednesday, September 22, 2021. Approximately 100, pre-1930’s, antique motorcycles will line the streets of downtown Arkadelphia starting at 4:30 p.m., and ending at 6:30 p.m. 240 riders and support staff will be visiting Southwest Arkansas for the event. City officials have been planning for their arrival for two years, as the event was postponed due to COVID-19. Arkadelphia Mayor Byrd is one of 240 riders and support staff making a stop in Arkadelphia this Wednesday for the Motorcycle Cannonball. Arkadelphia is the Cannonball’s only stop in
Arkansas this year. Motorcycle Cannonball takes place every other year. As the most difficult antique endurance run in the world, riders travel from all over to ride their antique motorcycles cross country, from border to border, or coast to coast. Arkadelphia Mayor Scott Byrd is riding in the event. Mayor Byrd is excited to return home and showcase his city and state to fellow riders. Following the Cannonball’s official stop in downtown Arkadelphia, the riders will travel to Caddo Valley where they will stay overnight in several hotels. Due to the age of the bikes, the riders and support teams rebuild the motorcycles every night. Media and spectators are encouraged to travel to Caddo Valley to watch this process unfold.
victories in their first 10 matches, with a few of those wins helping them to clinch a second-place finish in their bracket at the LR Southwest Volleyball Tournament. Over the last two weeks in particular, though, the Badgers have faced the difficulties of experienced opponents and a roster that has seen players miss matches due to numerous reasons including injury and Covid-19 related absences.. The Lady Badgers celebrate with junior Makayla Gentry after she served the winning point in a match with Robinson. Last week, Arkadelphia struggled in a tough nonconference matchup against Sheridan, which saw the Badgers faced with a season-high 19 unplayable balls off of opponent serves after having just six in the previous four matches combined. AHS head coach Jenny Coon noted, though, that the team was ready to bounce back quickly following the loss. Although she was disappointed with the Sheridan match, she had nothing but praise about how the team responded. “The Sheridan match was by far the worst match
of the year last Tuesday,” Coon said. “They didn’t handle the match well and I didn’t handle how they handled the match well either. Everybody including coaches checked themselves before practice the next day and we came out and had one of the best practices all year.” The Badgers’ efforts did not go unnoticed in their match the next day. Despite falling to conference foe Fountain Lake, Coon was impressed with how her players fought against a perennial conference and state championship contender. Arkadelphia led 22-20 in game one before Fountain Lake rallied to take the game and eventually the set. “We played really well [against Fountain Lake],” said the coach. “It was a lot of fun to watch them and what they did in that first game,” Coon said. Their defeat at the hands of the Cobras marked an 0-2 start in conference play for the Badgers. A tough five-set loss at Malvern this Tuesday night after winning the first two sets kept the Lady Badgers looking for their first conference victory heading into Thursday’s
match with perennial power Mena. Despite the slow start, though, Arkadelphia is still in position to contend for a state tournament spot. As to how her team will get there, the path is clear to Coach Coon. “[We’ve] got to beat the best of the rest,” she said, in reference to the remainder of the conference schedule. Coon believes the team’s ability to finish matches will essentially determine how well they will do the remainder of the season. “Once you learn how to finish one time, in your mind you can do it,” said Coon. “Then the next time it’s not as doubtful in your head.” Lady Badger seniors Gracie Simpson (left) and Trinity McKenzie prepare for action during a recent match. One early-season match that Coon believes is one the team can use as a building block was an exciting five-set win over Mayflower in which the Lady Badgers were down 12-8 in the last set and rattled off 7 straight points to win the match. The Lady Badgers have also been forced to shuffle players around to different positions
and build the depth due to missed time from veterans and starters, which has allowed Coon to work on different areas in practice. Coon also likes the makeup of her young team who has heard compliments from other coaches about their playing style. “We had coaches this summer and earlier in the season describe us as being ‘scrappy’ and as a coach you love to hear that,” said Coon. “When you have some out, we just have to adopt that ‘next person up’ mentality,” Heading into the end of the first half of the double round-robin conference schedule, Coon said she is confident that her team will be in good shape when the time comes for teams to qualify for the state tournament through the remainder of the conference schedule. Arkadelphia has three straight home conference matches over the next week. The Lady Badgers will host Mena Thursday at 5:00 and then will host Camden-Fairview Tuesday and Mills Thursday. The junior varsity matches next week will start at 5:00 followed by the varsity matches.