Maritza Tovar, Remembering Her Moment

When asked what quote inspired her, Maritza Tovar replied:

"Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."  
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Maritza Tovar was Benton high school's representative for JAWS (Journalists Aspiring to Work in Sports). She covered Benton Tiger football for the JAWS website in conjunction with The Tim Fletcher Show and Friday Football Frenzy radio show by documenting the games from an unique point of view... a student's.

Maritza's participation was selfless, positive and contributed to the betterment of her community by shedding light on others' accomplishments. Her time and efforts gave athletes more exposure, which increases their chances of being noticed by colleges, and gives them a better opportunity for scholarships. Her positive approach to the excitement of the game promoted school spirit and was a delight to read.

Excerpts of Maritza's coverage that contributed to the blog, as well as radio, for the Benton Tigers will be featured on the tab above dedicated to her.

Maritza explained she wanted to be a journalist because she felt it was important to capture a moment as it was happening and tell the story so the public could experience it as if they were seeing it with their own eyes.  

This week, the moment that captures us is leaving us stunned and sorrowful, but it will not tell Maritza's story.  For that, we will look back on the moments of her life.  We will wonder why she did not have more time, but she enjoyed a different perspective about life and time.

"Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." 

Maritza's inspiration should move us to recognize our moments.  Some we cherish, some we learn from, some are quiet and private, while others are shared with a roaring crowd.  Too many are fleeting.

Thank you, dear young lady, for your service and your message.  They will be remembered and your moment will stay captured with us forever.

An Evangel Eagle Shares A Mouthwash Memory

Cayden Alexander goes airborne!

Friday night Evangel played a thrilling game against Mansfield. Finishing out the game leaving the score at 30-6 Evangel won becoming reigning District Champs. 

Before and after the game I got a chance to speak with tight end Austin Beckermeyer #21. I asked...
What is your favorite memory from being on the team? 

Beckermeyer told me about the Ouachita game when Coach Dawson chugged mouthwash to take the bad taste out his mouth of the game prior. Beckermeyer said being apart of Evangel Christian Academy's football brotherhood has allowed him to have many great experiences, has helped him grow closer to God, and his new found brotherhood. 

Austin says the coaches are amazing and he has learned the meaning of hard work, teamwork, and dedication. 

Before the game he was excited, going into the game with a drive to keep the District Champ title. After the game Beckermeyer still had a high energy level! Having been senior night and winning District for another year Beckermeyer says that he feels the team showed good execution, but there is always room for improvement. 

He says that the whole team is excited to start their Road to the Dome and their faith is remaining strong.

Cav's Common Theme

A common theme seems to be present when discussing the Calvary football team. When asked what is one strength that sets the Cavaliers apart from the rest and why, Calvary senior Jared Marshall had an interesting perspective. Marshall is number fifty-one and a defensive tackle.

He said, "I think it's togetherness...we all ...[are] such a tight family, we all...[hang] out during the day at school..." Once again, the closeness of the Cavaliers is displayed.

Calvary's Unsung Hero: David Fitzwater

As the Cavaliers prepare to take on Homer this week, one stopped to answer the QUESTION OF THE WEEK. 

This is what senior Justice Henson, a defensive end sporting number three on the field had to say. When asked, "Who is a guy on the team that does not get enough credit for all he does," he named David Fitzwater. 

Fitzwater, a junior, is number fifty-four, an offensive lineman and defensive end. When asked why Fitzwater was chosen, Henson stated that, "It looked like he broke his hand, he thought he broke his leg, but yet, he [doesn't] complain about it." Clearly the Cavaliers have determination and endurance, and it is helping them go far.

First TD's of The Season, More To Follow!

Joey Usie #26 and Trent Jackson #24 scored their first touchdown of the season against Booker T. Washington! 

The final score being 68-8! Way to go Eagles! Look later this week for an interview with some of our senior football players!

Panthers Goals Remain Intact

The Parkway Panthers suffered their first District 1-5A loss last Thursday against Byrd.  We posed the question, 'What stands between Parkway and the postseason," to a Panther senior.

"The biggest challenge to making into the playoffs has to be playing the talented teams that are in our division, they always end up being good games to play in."
- Peyton Bush, Senior DB

All we do is win! Byrd Rolls To 8-0 Mark

The Byrd win over Parkway last Thursday at Lee Hedges gave fans another thing to be proud of- especially with Byrd’s record of being 8-0 and 2^nd in the state. 

Byrd’s backup quarterback, Deuce Caston, filled in for starter Tyler Howard again this week, and just like the 48-7 victory last week over Shreve, he did not disappoint.   

The endurance of both teams showed throughout the game leading up into a tie which led to overtime and ultimately another win for the Yellow Jackets. 

Considering Parkway is the only team Byrd lost to on the road to state in the Mercedes Benz Superdome last year, Jackets fans are excited to see what the rest of this season has to offer. 

Next week the Jackets play Southwood at Lee Hedges Stadium. Tune into jaws for recaps, photos, and more!

Evangel On Track After Mid-Season Hiccups

Winning by a score of 42-0 Evangel takes home another win for the record books! Thank you Mr. Claude for the ever astonishing pictures!

Plain Dealing Improves To 7-1, Hurdles Remain On Road To Playoffs

This week, our question of the week: What's the biggest challenge at this point for Plain Dealing to make it to the playoffs.  We caught up with Bijan Mitchell, a junior Linebacker/Offensive Tackle to get the answer:

"The biggest challenge to make it to the playoffs we need to step up on defense,avoid injuries, stay in shape, and execute plays," Bijan says

Calvary Rolling Along In District Play

   Where We Are Now

     At this point in the season, a lot is going on. The Calvary Cavaliers are doing extremely well, as they begin to close up their scheduled season. When asked what he likes about the team at this point in the season, Calvary Senior Kurrell Vaughn had quite a bit to say. He feels they are becoming better as a family and getting better and better each game. He states, "We clean up all kinds of mistakes and …our future is looking very bright." Vaughn, number 46, is a defensive tackle recently committed to Northwestern. Kurrell thinks that Calvary's biggest challenge to making it to playoffs is "passing  teams, as far as the defensive front." "We've been really focused on teams that run the ball a lot so…playing a passing team is very different for us because…we're run first defense." It is good to know that the Cavaliers are in touch with what they need to work on and pursuing their goals positively.

That's My King: Evangel Half Time Show

Evangel Varsity Cheerleaders performed an amazing message to "That's My King" during half time.

Shreve Takes a Stinging Loss

Boy, oh boy. Last Friday was the most intense game Shreve has experienced so far. Not because of the game itself but because of the ongoing rivalry between Captain Shreve and C.E. Byrd! All week long, both school's participated in a little trash talking and shots were fired (Not actual shots though).

Captain Shreve participated in their annual "Byrd Week," which is where each day the students dress up to a different theme. However, because there was no school scheduled for Friday, the Byrd-Shreve Pep Rally was moved to Thursday. Nonetheless, the Gators were still pumped up and ready for the game!

Friday was when it all went down. Fans were in the stands hours before kickoff time, ready for war. Gators were decked out in all black outfits while the Jackets came in their camo for "gator hunting."

Byrd came into the first quarter head first, scoring a touchdown within the first twenty seconds of the game. The Jackets scored back to back, crushing Gator offense with an impenetrable defense which ultimately resulted in C.E. Byrd remaining undefeated. Captain Shreve now stands with a 3-4 record.

Although this game was a drastic loss for the Gators, they are still working hard to prepare for the battle against Haughton this Friday.

Evangel's Brilliant Game!

During the first quarter Evangel and North Webster both scored starting the game off with a score of 7-6 Evangel up! Player #76 Jerry Tillery pushed the offense all the way to Evangel's end zone. Also during the first quarter #85 made a 81 yard field goal bringing the score to 10-6 where it would stay for the duration of the game. 

Evangel made multiple touchdowns that were flagged and not counted for the duration of the game. 

The final score was 10-6 Evangel winning. 

Evangel Varsity Cheerleaders performed an amazing message to "That's My King" during half time. Big thanks to Mr. Claude Price for the amazing photos as always!

Stingin’ Shreve

The Byrd High School Yellow Jackets got some “gator gumbo” with their 48-7 victory over Captain Shreve this past Friday night at Lee Hedges Stadium. 

The Byrd vs Shreve game is always one of the most spirited games of the season due  the cross-town rivalry between the two schools. Students at Byrd raised spirit all week for the game with a Shreve themed K-Byrd episode, tail gates, spirit banners and wearing camo- the excitement wasn’t a waste though, because the Jackets seemed to get rid of any remote sense of equality by scoring almost every way imaginable during the first half. 

Byrd is now  7-0 (District 1-5A), the state’s No. 1 team in the power ratings- leaving  students proud to be a jacket. Although the Jackets did not play with starting quarterback, Tyler Howard, Deuce Caston was an able fill-in- and did not disappoint. 

The victory over the Gators was a great way to kick off the start of a 4 day weekend for students who are looking forward to the Byrd vs Parkway game next Thursday at Lee Hedges.

Tis The Season

... for HOMECOMING

Calvary is preparing for the upcoming homecoming game against Lakeview this Friday. 

Tensions are high as students and parents get ready for the homecoming court presentation Friday and dance on Saturday. No doubt this is one of the most exciting weeks for Calvary. This is the Cavaliers second district game this season, and sadly already the second to last scheduled home game. 

This 2014 football season is shaping up to be a good one; the Cavs only having one loss so far. The Cavaliers are doing exceptionally well and making this a season to remember.  

Parkway airs it out in 49-14 district win against Captain Shreve

The Gators could not contain the Panthers who looked dominate in their

first district game with a strong performance by Keondre Wudtee. Wudtee passed

for 268 yards and 4 touchdowns. Overall, he showed great poise and was able to

pin point the long ball with ease oppose to his shakier starts early in the season. It

helped that Wudtee had a solid core of receivers to throw to. Jared Lancaster

burned the Gators secondary for long 93 yard reception and 3 other panthers

contributed with touchdowns.


Parkway held control of the game from the get-go by taking an early 14-0

lead in the first quarter thanks to the Lancaster bomb and a quick screen play to

McCray. The Panthers kept pressure on Shreve with a quick score in the second

quarter and Caleb Monroe interception leading into a McKnight touchdown.

Gators remained scoreless in the first half due to gritty defensive stands by

Parkway and a missed FG. Gators didn’t score until the very start of the 4th

by then Parkway led 42-7. The final Parkway touchdown came off of a fake punt

where Jujwon Johnson ran for a 64-yard TD. Overall, the young Panthers team has

taken great leaps as the season has progressed and is totting one of the more

explosive offenses in 5A.


 Parkway looks to get its second district win against opponent Southwood

this Thursday at Lee Hedges Stadium.

North Caddo Pitching In For October's Huge Awareness Movement

Our Rebels dressed in pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness month. 

The cheerleaders gather and pray together for a safe night on the field. 

The Rebel Steppers put in a great performance for the crowd.