Rison stunned by death

Rison practiced for about 90 minutes Wednesday, but for one of Arkansas’ most storied programs, it was anything but normal in the Cleveland County town of 1,271.

The Class 2A Wildcats worked for the first time since senior wide receiver Logan Prescott was killed, and two other players injured, in an automobile accident Tuesday afternoon just north of Rison.

“Words can’t describe it,” Rison Coach Clay Totty said. “Words can’t describe it.”

Prescott , 17, was a passenger in a 1997 Honda Civic that struck a 1964 Plymouth Valiant driven by Lee Applegarth of Poyen, according to an Arkansas State Pol ice accident report.

The Honda, driven by Josh Cook, a senior offensive guard/ linebacker for Rison, was southbound on Arkansas 133 when it tried to pass another vehicle in a

no- pass zone approaching the top of a hill, the report said.

Cook’s vehicle struck Applegarth’s vehicle headon near the crest of the hill in the northbound lane at 4:50 p.m., the report said.

Prescott was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cook, 17, was transported to Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff. Totty said Cook sustained a fractured hip but could be released today or Friday.

Another passenger in the Honda, Justin Ross, a senior tight end/defensive end for Rison, was airlifted to Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock with a head injury. Ross, 17, was listed in serious condition late Wednesday afternoon.

Applegarth, 63, also was taken to Jefferson Regional, but a hospital official said late Wednesday afternoon that his condition couldn’t be released.

Totty said Prescott, Cook and Ross had driven to Pine Bluff for a meal following Tuesday’s practice and the accident occurred returning to Rison.

“Just a bad, bad deal,” Totty said. “They were all well- liked. They were like brothers.”

Totty said the team visited Cook following Wednesday’s practice. Coaches later headed to Little Rock to see Ross.

The day began, Totty said, with an emotional team meeting at 9 a. m. Players decided to practice about two hours later after goal cards written by the three players earlier in the year were read, Totty said.

Tot ty said the goa l cards, among other things, referenced team unity and hard work.

“There was a lot of praying, a lot of crying and a lot of sharing,” said Totty, who led the Wildcats to state championships in 2000 and 2004.

The crash was the latest in a series of tumultuous events to rock the Rison program, which has won eight state championships recognized by the Arkansas Activities Association.

The Wildcats began the 2011 season ranked No. 1 in Class 3A but lost standout senior cornerback Marquis Walker to a knee injury ( torn anterior cruciate ligament) in midseason and were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

Totty’s father, Gerald, died in January following a long battle with cancer. Gerald Totty was a fixture on the sidelines of his son’s games.

“It’s been tough, all these things,” Totty said. “First with Marquis, then Daddy, and now this. It’s been hard.”

Funeral services for Prescott are 10 a.m. Friday at Bethel No. 1 Missionary Baptist Church in Rison, with Rison team chaplain Wade Totty, Clay Totty’s brother, officiating.

Prescott’s half- brother, Dustin Prescott, is the head football coach at Des Arc.