Aggie Returns To Arkansas

FINDS HOME IN THE OZARKS Wolves Sneak Past Eagles In Huntsville

Howdy! My name is Heath, and I am a proud fightin’ Texas Aggie from Flower Mound, Texas.

I studied sports management in school, and after leaving Texas A&M in 2010 I went to work for a sports magazine in Austin, Texas.

I feel very fortunate to be your new sports reporter. Now, before you begin calling for my impeachment because your Hogs and my Aggies are now SEC foes, let me assure you that we share many more commonalities than we do differences, in spite of where my loyalties may lie on the college football field.

My entire family is tied to the foothills of these Ozarks. My mother and aunt played softball and basketball at Farmington High School in the 1980s; they bleed Cardinals red to this day. My father was a tight-end at Lincoln, and still thinks fondly of his days growing up on a farm just outside of Cane Hill. My maternal grandpa, Denver Lacy, tells me stories of “Old Fayetteville,” and recalls the days when he worked in the cafeteria at the Mountain Inn Hotel off the downtown square. My dad’s folks, Al and Yvonne Samples, have been here since 1969 and plan on never leaving. They all tell me things have changed quite a bit up here over the past several decades. I’ve learned this to be true, though — I’ve already fallen hard for this community, and for these people.

When I was a toddler, I desperately wanted to read. I would try to sound out words, and would become upset when I failed. When my mother or father would drive by billboards along the road, I would glare ferociously at the incomprehensible combination of letters displayed in the sky. Once I grasped the concept, though, I never stopped reading. I adore words — almost as much as I enjoy sports. The feeling of newspaper between my fingers demands a smile, and a cup of coffee. My friends tell me I harbor an, “old soul.” Perhaps I do. I simply know that I have an insatiable appetite for bonding over storytelling, reporting.

I played baseball, basketball, and football growing up. My first tee-ball game was in Fayetteville, and I can still remember learning how to shoot a basketball during recess at Asbell Elementary School. When I was 8 years old, my dad took a job in Tulsa, Okla., and our family relocated to Jenks. There, I was introduced to the magnitude of high school football and what it can mean for a small town. I played football there and discovered I was more suited for baseball and basketball. My

LINCOLN — Huntsville was hoping for a repeat of the comeback magic that helped it complete an overtime victory over Gentry last week, but a game-tying extra point sailed wide left with just over a minute to go, allowing Lincoln to hold on for a 27-26 victory.

“Our kids fought to the very end,” said Lincoln coach Don Harrison. “We preach attitude and effort all the time. No matter what happened in the game, they kept their heads up and gutted it out.”

Both teams converted their extra points perfectly through the first three quarters, but neither team was able to get a ball through the uprights in the fourth, keeping the result of the game in doubt until Huntsville (3-4, 1-3) failed to recover an onside kick at the end.

The Eagles opened the fourth quarter down 21-14, but quarter- back Will Weaver and running back Brian Lemus, who had a game-high 167 rushing yards on just 16 carries, traded rushes and went 45 yards in five plays, capped by Lemus’ 21-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-20 with 10:03 left. But the snap was mishandled, forcing kicker Manuel Aldaco to pick up the ball and try to run. But Lincoln (3-4, 2-2) was able to tackle him and cling to the one-point lead.

Lincoln answered on the ensuing drive by converting a fourth down to set up senior lineman David Adams’ touchdown run. Huntsville still had life, however, because it was able to block Estabon Villapondo’s extra point attempt.

The Eagles started their final drive at their own 47-yard line with 5:27 to play, and again, Weaver and Lemus marched Huntsville down the field on a 12-play drive that resulted in a 3-yard touchdown