Sports

by Janice Penix Winning just four games in a season isn’t a statistic the Ozark Hillbillies are accustomed to, and one they hope not to repeat in 2025. This season, Ozark has a new head coach who knows what it takes to win it all and who hopes to lead the team back to its…

by Janice Penix Katherine Wright would describe herself as anything but athletic. But when it comes to competitive fishing, her coach says she is a force to be reckoned with. “She is the most competitive youth that I ever fished with,” Chris Tinnell, who served as Wright’s boat captain in the Arkansas Youth Bass Hogs,…

by Janice Penix In just a few short weeks, Bryelon Willis will begin his freshman year at the University of the Ozarks. The 2025 Oark High School graduate led the Hornet basketball and track teams during his senior season, and is now ready to pursue a career coaching the sports he loves. But 12 months…

by Janice Penix She may only be 5’1”, but as Lydia Summerlin’s coaches can attest, her effort and intensity are anything but small. “If you’ve ever been around Lydia, you know she’s kinda short – but dynamite comes in small packages,” Wes Davis, Clarksville head volleyball coach, said. Summerlin, who graduated Clarksville High School in…

by Janice Penix A student’s senior year of high school is often marked by many milestones: getting the best parking spots, filling out college applications, planning senior skip day, preparing for senior prom, and ordering a cap and gown. For Evan Fain, senior year also represented a last chance to play a sport he had…

by Janice Penix Caleb Green is one of the Lamar Warriors most accomplished student-athletes. He was a two-time all-conference basketball player who recorded over 1,000 career points and made the all-state tournament team. He was a member of the third place 4×200 relay team and led the boys track team to its third consecutive conference…

by Janice Penix In a graduating class of just 11, Leanda Willis was one of only two who had been Oark Hornets since kindergarten. And she credits Oark Schools for instilling in her the values and confidence she needed to spread her wings and fly, from her time on the basketball court to trips to…

by Janice Penix If there’s one lesson Levi Gregory learned from playing sports, it’s to enjoy the experience. “Don’t take it too serious,” he said. “Have a good time and enjoy it.” At 6’7”, Gregory’s physical presence would command any field or court, but his smile and demeanor quickly reveal his gentler side. “My wife…

by Janice Penix If there ever was an all-around trophy for Clarksville High School sports, Brack Denton would undoubtedly have been a contender. Before he graduated in May, Denton had made a solid mark on numerous Panther programs, from the football field to the basketball court and the baseball diamond. While he might not have…

by Janice Penix Brazilian soccer great Pele once said that success is not an accident. “It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” It could be said no one epitomizes that philosophy more than Ozark’s Grasen Price. The 2025 graduate won…