Stories from Wednesday, December 11, 2024

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier The Mississippi County finance committee discussed training funding at the Monday afternoon meeting. Justice Michael White, chair, opened the meeting welcoming Clif Chitwood, county economic developer. Chitwood and committee members discussed the importance and success of the career training in both north and south ANC campuses...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team For the second straight year EPC finished as the runners-up in Class 2A football as the Warriors lost to Conway Christian 18-8 in the state championship game played in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Eagles won the coin toss and got the ball to start the game. ...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team WILSON - Eight members of the 2024 Rivercrest football team, which posted a record of 11-2 this season and a runnerup finish in the tough 3-3A Conference, have been named to post-season honors lists. Receiving both all-state and all-conference honors were senior quarterback Cavonta Washington, junior receiver/defensive back Buddah Harris and junior receiver/defensive back Jayden Young...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team WILSON - Rivercrest would use a decisive fourth quarter run to push past the Gosnell Pirates 74-65 in the final game Friday of the Rivercrest Classic. The Pirates had a 55-52 lead heading into the final quarter but Colts junior Jayden Young and Buddah Harris would propel their team into the lead and the Rivercrest defense would hold Gosnell to 10 fourth quarter points to gain the victory...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team BLYTHEVILLE – The Blytheville Lady Chicks doubled up Paragould Friday with a 58-29 win. The Lady Chicks, leading 14-9 after one period of play, outscored Paragould 30-6 over the next 8:42 to virtually seal the outcome...

The Blytheville Junior High girls team defeated Paragould Friday at Chickasaw Arena. The Jr. Lady Chicks eeked out a 33-31 victory by preventing the Jr. Lady Rams from generating any offense over the final few minutes of the game. (Photo By David Pierce)...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team WILSON - The Rivercrest Lady Colts pulled away from visiting Cross County with a decisive second half and went on to defeat the Lady Thunderbirds 50-27 in girls basketball action Thursday at Rivercrest. The Lady Colts led 12-3 after one period and the visitors outscored Rivercrest 10-7 in the second quarter to get within six points (19-13) at the break. ...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team WILSON – For a time it looked as if the Osceola Seminoles would win handily over the Gosnell Pirates Saturday. Whoa, not so fast. Apparently the Pirates didn’t get the memo. Gosnell (3-2) rallied from 14 points down in the final six minutes of the game before falling in overtime, 79-74, to Osceola (2-0)...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team WILSON - The Rivercreet junior boys outscored Gosnell 15-2 in the second quarter and went on to defeat the junior Pirates 53-23 in the opening game of the 2024 Rivercrest Classic (formerly the Luxora Classic). Both teams had trouble holding on to the basketball in the first quarter as sloppy play was the rule with Rivercrest scoring the last six points on the period to take an 11-6 lead to the second period...

Osceola had 12 players receive post-season honors following the 2024 season. Seniors Jeremiah Jacobs, Harris Manning and Keviss Love along with junior MJ Washington all were named All-State and All-Conference. Eight other Seminoles, Tyler Bell, Carlos Vance, Garryn Cook, Aiden Haymon, Demarius Hackett, Donovan Littleton, Jeriyan Long and Tyrese James, were all named All-Conference...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team The Blytheville Chicks won the game as well as the battle in the paint Friday, defeating Dyersburg (Tenn.), 46-38, to notch their fourth win of the season. Squaring off against Dyersburg’s 6-8, 268 lb. center Breyden Turnage, the Chicks (4-2) held their own inside scoring 40 of their 46 points in the paint. On top of that, they assisted on 13 of the made baskets...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team WILSON - Osceola got off to a bit of a slow start, but when things begin to click it spelled trouble for the Trumann Wildcats as the Seminoles pressure led to a 79-49 victory in the season opener played in the Rivercrest Classic Friday...

Zetha Mae (Fisher) Brewer, 85, passed from this life on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.  Zetha was a lifelong resident of Blytheville, having been born here to Homer and Addie Fisher. In addition to her parents, Zetha was preceded in death by her late husband of 54 years, Robert “Bobby” Welch Brewer; and several siblings: Melba Jean (Fisher) Jowers, Arthur Lee Connor, Lenny Fisher, Elvis Fisher, Hayes T. Fisher, Alice (Fisher) Lancaster, Oma Jean (Fisher) Livingston and Margie Fisher...

Jo Anne Simers, 90 of Mammoth Spring, died Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at The Gables of Canton. Born Nov. 24, 1934, in Mammoth Spring, she was a daughter of the late Ned and Ruth (Mullens) Wood. She had worked for the USDA in Arkansas and the Sears catalog office. ...

Ernest “Dud” Brucks Sr., of Blytheville, passed away peacefully Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 at Great River Medical Center. Ernest was born in Princeton, Ind., to Ernest C. And Bessie Marie Moore Brucks. He joined the United States Air Force in 1965 and was stationed at Blytheville Air Force Base, not knowing this would become his home.  On his discharge day, Ernest walked to a nearby gas station to buy a soda and was offered a management position on the spot.  He used his military savings to purchase the gas station. ...