Author Archives: Brayden Morse

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Nettleton vs. Southside

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Southerners capture Raiders, 42-17

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Oct. 13, 2023

Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Southside Southerners remain undefeated with a strong second half to beat the Nettleton Raiders 42-17 on Friday night at Raider Stadium.

Southerners quarterback Savion Hall scored four total touchdowns, one passing and the other three rushing, but Nettleton had the momentum early and fought, keeping the score 21-17 at halftime.

Southside went for an onside kick to start the game with Nettleton recovering in Southerners’ territory. 

Running back TJ Brown led the Raiders to their first score on their first drive, with three straight rushing plays to reach the endzone. Nettleton then decided to do their own onside kick and recovered at the 34-yard line. 

Nettleton’s TJ Brown (10) runs the ball against Southside during first half action in Jonesboro on Friday, October 13, 2023.

The Raiders’ drive was stalled to a successful field goal attempt by Mason Waln, giving them a 10-0 lead. 

Southside would eventually respond with Hall running straight up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown. 

The Southerners gained quick momentum when Raider quarterback Maddox Hampton threw an interception around midfield in a triple coverage scenario. 

Southside took advantage of the excellent field position with a 32-yard rushing touchdown by Hall, leading 14-10. 

The back and forth game continued, as Brown scored his second rushing touchdown on a 40-yard play to get the lead back early in the second quarter at 17-14. 

Hall’s final rushing touchdown occurred in a goal-line situation to regain the lead before halftime. 

On Southside’s opening drive of the second half, Hall threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to running back Isaac Wallis, leading 28-14. 

Nettleton drove down the field on their next drive but failed to execute on fourth down, resulting in a turnover on downs. 

After that, the Southerners would go on to score two more touchdowns and run the clock out.

The Raiders are now 6-2, looking to bounce back next week as they travel to play Forrest City in a conference matchup. 

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.

NOTE: Feature photo shows Nettleton’s Maddox Hampton preparing to throw the ball against Southside during first half action on Friday, October 13, 2023. Photo by Ibuki Hinohara

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Brookland vs. Southside

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Southerners skin Bearcats, 38-0

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Oct. 6, 2023

Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Southside Southerners spoiled the Brookland Bearcats’ homecoming in shutout fashion with an impressive rushing attack on Friday night at Jordan’s Stadium.

Southside’s Savion Hall (11) tries to get through Brookland’s Barrett Cunningham (18) during first half action on Friday, October 6, 2023.

The long runs were established from the get-go, as Southside wide receiver Seth Case ran for 41 yards on a motion play to put the Southerners in a redzone opportunity on their first drive of the game. 

Running back Gabriel Witt finished the drive with a goal-line touchdown midway through the first quarter. 

Brookland head coach Mark Hindsley addressed Southside’s ability to run the ball on their offensive line. 

“It’s hard to stop them. When their offensive line blocks until the whistle and they do the things they do up front, that is why they had success,” Hindsley said. 

As Brookland geared up for kickoff, Southside recovered the ball in Bearcat territory. Case scored a 31-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Southerners a 14-0 lead early in the first half.

The Bearcats’ defense held the Southerners’ offense on back-to-back drives but could not capitalize on the opportunities. 

After a failed fake punt by Southside resulting in a turnover on downs, Brookland quarterback Hayden Elder threw an interception on the second drive of the game.

Southside would get excellent field position but were stopped to a field-goal try, making the score 17-0 midway through the second quarter. 

The Bearcats were once stopped again on offense, while Southerners quarterback Savion Hall rolled out of the pocket for a 51-yard rushing touchdown right before halftime. 

Unfortunately for Brookland, Southside would get the ball to start the second half. After a failed onside kick by the Bearcats, Witt ran for 37 yards to put the Southerners in another goal-line situation. 

Running back Louis Calhoun punched in for a score, Southside leading 31-0 early in the third quarter. 

The Southerners eventually got the ball back as the Bearcat offense could not connect down the field with passes. 

Back-to-back long runs from the Witt and Case duo, led to their second straight drive with a goal-line situation. Case capped off the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the game. 

Entering the fourth quarter, Brookland was still looking for their first score. Their next drive was stalled as Elder threw his second interception of the game. 

Southside ran the clock out to win 38-0. 

Coach Hindsley expressed his thoughts on the outcome of the game and what the team needs to do moving forward. 

“There were no positives (takeaways). Negatives, there were a bunch of them. We have just got to get better. We have got to get better as a team. We have to get better offensively and defensively. We have to get more focused and have the right mindset going into every week,” Hindsley said. 

Brookland is now 1-4 on the season and looking to get back in the win column as they travel to play Valley View in a conference matchup next Friday. 

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.

NOTE: Featured photo shows Brookland’s Tyler Hammett (12) pushing through Southside’s defense during first half action on Friday. Courtesy of Terrance Armstard

Day 1 – The 38th annual Barry Pruitt Hurricane Classic

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Golden Hurricane defeats Cedar Ridge Timberwolves, 61-27

Delta Digital News Service

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Day one of the 38th annual Barry Pruitt Hurricane Classic is complete, with wins from Jonesboro, Rossview, Bartlett and Fayetteville on Thursday night at Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium to move on to the winner’s bracket.

Cedar Ridge’s Kyle Provence (3) tries to stop Jonesboro guard Caleb Chew (15) during the first round of the 38th annual Barry Pruitt Hurricane Classic basketball tournament in Jonesboro, Thursday, November 30, 2023. Photo by Atsuki Ohbuchi

The Jonesboro Golden Hurricane defeated the Cedar Ridge Timberwolves 61-27. 

Jonesboro guard Chris Stacy led the team in scoring with 14 points, and led the team with three, three-pointers in the third quarter. Two of the three-pointers were on back-to-back possessions to increase the Golden Hurricanes’ lead.

Jonesboro head coach Wes Swift shared his thoughts on Stacy’s performance.

“He’s a knock down shooter. We need him to stretch the floor. He played a nice role in that third quarter,” Swift said.

The score was 23-14 at halftime, with the Golden Hurricane leading. Coach Swift felt like the score was too close of a margin and needed to play better on both sides of the ball.

“With the score at halftime, we can work on the offense against the one-three-one. We didn’t have a lot of points at halftime and they (Cedar Ridge) do a really good job on their one-three-one. We wanted to play inside out and they did a good job of allowing us to get the ball in the paint,” Swift said. 

“With the score at halftime, we can work on the offense against the one-three-one. We didn’t have a lot of points at halftime and they (Cedar Ridge) do a really good job on their one-three-one. We wanted to play inside out and they did a good job of allowing us to get the ball in the paint,”

Jonesboro head coach Wes Swift

Swift also had some comments about his defense in the first half.

“We didn’t press and we thought we could press them. We felt like we needed to, to get some easy buckets and try to stretch that lead out a little bit. I thought we had a really good third quarter once we turned the heat up a little bit,” Swift said. 

The Golden Hurricane play the Rossview Hawks (Rossview, TN) on Friday night at 7 p.m. while Cedar Ridge plays the Nettleton Raiders on Friday at 4 p.m.

The Hawks defeated the Nettleton Raiders 54-53, as the Raiders shot a buzzer-beater three-pointer and hoped for a foul for an and-one.

Nettleton fought hard all game, while being down by eight points with two minutes left in the game and coming back. The Raiders would of course minimize that lead with a couple three-pointers and fouls, but failed to make all of their free-throws. 

Nettleton head coach Bubba Deaton expressed his thoughts on the loss and some positive and negative takeaways.

“We did some good things. We’ve got a lot of things to improve on. We didn’t play very well in the first half offensively. Didn’t get stops in the second half. To be down eight with two minutes left and give ourselves a chance, shows some grit. Probably should’ve gone to the press a little earlier. We shared the ball and we missed some shots that we normally take,” Deaton said. 

The Bartlett Bulldogs (Bartlett, TN) defeated the Osceola Seminoles 78-34. Bartlett guard and Arkansas State signee R’Chaun King scored nine points in the win.

The Fayetteville Bulldogs beat the West Memphis Blue Devils 71-43. The Bulldogs will play Bartlett on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Osceola will play West Memphis on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.

Note: Photos by DDNS Staff Photographer Atsuki Ohbuchi

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Nettleton vs. Batesville

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Nettleton offensive trio help edges out Batesville, 34-20

Delta Digital News Service

Sept. 22, 2023

By Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Nettleton’s offensive trio helped edge Batesville as the Raiders beat the Pioneers 34-20 Saturday night at Raider Stadium.

Quarterback Maddox Hampton, running back TJ Brown and wide receiver Curtez Smith combined for four of the five Raider touchdowns. 

Nettleton Head Coach Steven Hampton discussed his offensive trio and their performance. 

“They ran hard, they ran great tonight and Maddox throwing the ball as well. We feel like we have some weapons and we just have to figure out ways to utilize them,” Hampton said. 

“They ran hard, they ran great tonight and Maddox throwing the ball as well. We feel like we have some weapons and we just have to figure out ways to utilize them,” Hampton said. 

Nettleton Head Coach Steven Hampton

After Nettleton failed to execute on their second drive of the game, they were forced to punt but recovered a fumble by the returner to put the Raiders at Batesville’s 20-yard line. 

Brown converted on third down to put Nettleton in a goal-line situation. Smith then punched in a rushing touchdown to tie the game at seven early in the second quarter. 

On Batesville’s next drive, they took advantage of the Raiders’ penalties allowing them to drive down the field . Running back Owen McLaughlin scored his second rushing touchdown for 15 yards as the Pioneers led 14-7 midway through the second quarter. 

Batesville’s Owen McLaughlin (7) runs the ball against Nettleton during first-half action in Jonesboro, Friday, September 22, 2023.

Hampton connected with Smith for a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14 late in the second quarter. 

Right before halftime, Batesville found a way to kick a field goal to put them up 17-14.

The Raiders came out with a bang in the second half, with Hampton throwing a 40-yard pass to wide receiver Quordarius Thompson. Hampton ended the drive with a goal-line touchdown to put Nettleton up 20-17. 

After the Raider defense stopped the Pioneer offense, a string of short plays for Nettleton resulted in another goal-line situation where Brown scored a rushing touchdown on a wildcat formation to increase Nettleton’s lead 27-17. 

Back-to-back-to-back turnovers occurred on three straight drives between the two offenses, as Batesville eventually got the ball midway through the fourth quarter.

After a fourth down conversion by the Pioneers, their offense could not get anything else going as they had to settle for a field goal. Batesville minimized Nettleton’s lead 27-20. 

The Pioneers were forced to kick an onside kick late in the fourth quarter, as the Raiders recovered at Batesville’s 45-yard line. 

Running back Xavier Harrell sealed the win with a 22-yard rushing touchdown, putting Nettleton up 34-20 with about a minute left in the game. 

Coach Hampton shared his positive takeaways from the win.

“The first half was about as ugly as it could be. There were not any pointing fingers, it was a lot of pulling together. There were a lot of guys saying hey we got this and we just need to clean it up. That is the biggest takeaway, it is just the mindset. If our guys can grasp a hold of that and come together as a team, I think the sky is the limit for this group,” Hampton said. 

Nettlelton looks to get their second-straight conference win next game, as they travel to play Brookland.

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a junior in the multimedia journalism program in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

NOTE: Photos courtesy of Terrance Armstard

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Westside Warriors vs. Heber Springs Panthers

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Panthers ravage Warriors, 42-8

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Sept. 15, 2023

By Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – The rushing attack helped Heber Springs dominate in Westside’s senior night massacre as the Panthers defeated the Warriors 42-8.

All seven of the Panthers’ touchdowns were rushing by four different players. 

On the Panthers’ first drive of the game, they scored on three plays consisting of runs by running back Weston Warden, fullback Eli Buffalo and running back Parker Brown capping off the drive with a red zone touchdown.

The Warriors’ second drive was also a string of run plays that ended on a turnover on downs around the goal line to give the Panthers the ball back. 

Heber Springs took advantage of Westside’s turnover on downs with an 82-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Liam Buffalo, to put the Panthers up 14-0 early in the second quarter.

Westside’s Colton Carter (19) looks for an opportunity to pass the ball against Heber Springs during first half action in Jonesboro, Friday, September 15, 2023.

Westside Head Coach Bobby Engle discussed his thoughts on the defensive side during the first half. 

“On defense, we have got to tackle better. We put ourselves in the right position, we just did not make the tackles,” Engle said. 

“On defense, we have got to tackle better. We put ourselves in the right position, we just did not make the tackles,”

Coach Bobby Engle, Warriors Head Coach

Turnovers were also another issue for Westside with a fumble and interception on back-to-back drives.

Running back Dakota Neely fumbled at the 20-yard line with the Panthers recovering in excellent field position. Heber Springs would go on to score another rushing touchdown from running back Eli Buffalo.

Warriors quarterback Colton Carter rolled out of the pocket throwing an interception, while the Panthers once again took advantage of the Warrior turnovers with Liam Buffalo scoring his second rushing touchdown and a 28-0 lead late in the second quarter. 

Heber Springs would eventually get the ball back before halftime, as Eli Buffalo scored a 62-yard rushing touchdown. 

“We have got to play a complete game. We have not done that in three weeks in three games and we have lost. It shows. When we put it together and we do things right then we will win football games,” Engle said. 

Not much scoring happened in the second half, but Warden found his way into the endzone to join the four-player touchdown club as the Panther’s domination continued with a 42-0 lead.

The Warriors scored their one and only touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Carter connected with tight end Jordan Hall to get Westside in scoring position, then running back Gavin Nets finished the drive off with a rushing touchdown. 

Both teams will be on the road for their first conference matchups, as Westside will play Trumann and Heber Springs will play Cave City. 

Coach Engle had some words for their upcoming game against Trumann.

“The game plan is to do what we are coached to do. That is something we have to do,” Engle said. 

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a junior in the multimedia journalism program in the School of Media & Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

NOTE: Photos courtesy of Terrance Armstard

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Jonesboro vs. DeSoto Central

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Jaguars pounce out the Golden Hurricane 29-13

Delta Digital News Service

Sept. 8, 2023

By Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – DeSoto Central capitalized on Jonesboro’s turnovers and penalties with multiple scores to give the Jaguars a 29-13 victory over the Golden Hurricane Friday night at Cooksey-Johns Field.

Jonesboro quarterback Terrance Brown threw two costly interceptions to give DeSoto Central the ball in excellent field position throughout the game. 

Jonesboro’s Chris Stacy (3) makes a touchdown after catching a pass during first-half action against DeSoto Central on Friday, September 8, 2023. Atsuki Ohbuchi

Brown’s first interception and a team fumble resulted in the Jaguars scoring twice as well as a two-point conversion to give them a 15-0 lead before halftime. 

With 11 seconds remaining in the first half, Brown rolled out of the pocket and redeemed himself with a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Stacy for a 15-7 score.

DeSoto Central’s starting quarterback Eric Perry Jr. was injured in the first half and replaced by Jaden Norwood. Perry Jr. then returned for the second half of play. 

Running back/kick returner Lenden Fairley returned a kick for 80 yards to put the Jaguars in the red zone. Running back Jordan Cannon capped off the drive with a goal-line rushing touchdown, DeSoto up 22-7.

The Hurricanes responded with their own long kick return by Avion Jones right at the 50-yard line, but the next play was a fumble recovered by the Jaguars.

DeSoto’s next drive ended quickly with a botched snap, giving them a fourth and long situation and a punt back to Jonesboro. 

The very next play that the Hurricanes got the ball back, Brown threw his second interception of the night. 

Perry Jr. then led his team down the field with Cannon scoring another goal-line rushing touchdown, DeSoto up 29-7 in the third quarter. 

Stacy caught his second receiving touchdown but this time it was from backup quarterback Asa Myers to minimize the Jaguars’ lead 29-13 late in the fourth quarter, but not enough time left to come back for a miracle win.

The Hurricane will play its fourth straight home game against Cabot for the team’s first conference matchup of the season while DeSoto Central travels to Malvern in a non-district matchup.

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a junior in the multimedia journalism program in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

NOTE: Photos courtesy of Terrance Armstard.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Valley View vs. Forrest City

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Blazers tame Mustangs for homecoming win, 54 – 20

Delta Digital News Service

Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Defense and special teams dominance helped the Valley View Blazers to victory over the Forrest City Mustangs on homecoming at Central Dealerships Stadium on Friday night. 

Valley View had three defensive touchdowns in the first quarter and two special teams touchdowns in the first half.

Blazers Head Coach Sean Cockrell addressed his thoughts on the defense and special teams in the first half in the 54-20 win.

“It was awesome. I thought we played well on all sides of the ball, but to get three defensive touchdowns in the first quarter is crazy. Kickoff return was great, the overhead punt getting out of the endzone. We scouted really well and had a great gameplan. The kids executed it,” he said.

Forrest City fumbled on their first drive of the game with Valley View linebacker Brian Huff recovering for a 25-yard touchdown with eight minutes left in the first quarter, taking a 14-0 lead. 

Valley View’s Zane Guthrie (9) tries to shake Forrest City’s Lee Smith (28) during first half action in Jonesboro, Friday, September 29, 2023.

The Mustangs responded back with a 73-yard touchdown pass, for their first of three touchdowns of the game.

The very next kickoff, Blazer kick returner/wide receiver TJ Starks scored on an 81-yard return. Forrest City got the ball back and fumbled again, while Valley View free safety Laird Cullen recovered. The Blazers once again had great field position.

Valley View capitalized with a 17-yard rushing touchdown from running back Zane Guthrie, leading 28-6 midway through the first quarter. 

The Blazers added two special teams touchdowns back-to-back punts. Linebacker Jayde Taylor recovered and scored the first, while cornerback Kenneth Robinson scored the second. 

The score was 48-6 at halftime, so it was time to take the starters out. 

“We wanted to take them out and did in the second quarter. They scored a couple late in the second half and we got kind of nervous. We had a lot of guys play tonight, probably about 70 guys so we are excited about that,” Cockrell said. 

“We wanted to take them out and did in the second quarter. They scored a couple late in the second half and we got kind of nervous. We had a lot of guys play tonight, probably about 70 guys so we are excited about that.”

– Sean Cockerel, Blazers Head Coach

Valley View went on to score only one touchdown in the second half but ran the ball majority of the time to drain the clock while leading big. Forrest City fought hard for their two touchdowns in the second half but did not have enough time on the clock to complete a comeback. 

The Blazers will travel to play Wynne next Friday at 7 p.m. Coach Cockrell gave his thoughts on how to relay this win to next week’s conference game. 

“We said we wanted to be 2-0 (in conference) and we are. We know Wynne has so much tradition and they are a really good football team. It is going to be tough so we know we are going to have to focus next week to go down there and try to get a win,” he said.

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

NOTE: Photos courtesy of Terrance Armstard

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