WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Carter Burcham threw for 191 yards and a score while rushing for another touchdown, while Jesus Zizumbo kicked a trio of field goals, including the eventual game-winner with just over seven minutes to play as the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys football team (2-6, 2-6 Great American Conference) rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to claim a 36-35 win over Southwestern Oklahoma (2-6, 2-6) on Saturday night.

COMING UP NEXT
•vThe Wonder Boys return to the friendly confines of Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field for a 2 p.m. kickoff against Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 2.

SCORING PLAYS
•Tech 7, SWOSU 0 – 11:55 1st quarter – Caleb Batie 8 yard run (Zizumbo kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:05
•Tech 7, SWOSU 7– 10:16 1^stquarter – Tyler Marr 27 yard pass to DJ Hicks (Buchanan kick) 5 plays, 58 yards, 1:39
•SWOSU 14, Tech 7 – 9:48 1^stquarter – Jalen Carr 36 yard pick-six (Buchanan kick)
•SWOSU 21, Tech 7 – 2:29 1^stquarter – Justin Bailey 21 yard pass to DJ Hicks (Buchanan kick) 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:11
•SWOSU 21, Tech 10– 14:56 2^ndquarter – Jesus Zizumbo 24 yard field goal –  7 plays, 68 yards, 2:33
•SWOSU 21, Tech 17 – 8:57 2^ndquarter – Manny Harris 43 yard pass to Devin Olloway (Zizumbo kick) 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:35
•SWOSU 21, Tech 20– 5:42 2^ndquarter – Jesus Zizumbo 38 yard field goal – 7 plays, 31 yards, 2:47
•SWOSU 28, Tech 20 – 12:10 3^rdquarter – Tyler Marr 25 yard pass to Justin Bailey (Buchanan kick) 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:45
•SWOSU 35, Tech 20 – 7:31 3^rdquarter – Tyler Marr 13 yard pass to Alex Ramirez (Buchanan kick) 7 plays, 61 yards, 3:10
•SWOSU 35, Tech 26– 4:04 3^rdquarter – Carter Burcham 31 yard pass to Xavier Smith (2 point conversion failed)
•SWOSU 35, Tech 33– 14:56 4^thquarter – Carter Burcham 10 yard run (Zizumbo kick) 6 plays, 67 yards, 1:50
•Tech 36, SWOSU 35 – 7:03 4^thquarter – Jesus Zizumbo 28 yard field goal – 11 plays, 42 yards, 6:04

NOTABLES
•Tyrus Fort led the Wonder Boys with 11 stops.
•Burcham was 13-of-25 passing.
•Tech had 36 first downs to SWOSU’s 35.
•Tech had 25 first downs to SWOSU’s 18.
•The Wonder Boys outgained SWOSU 439 to 388 – the 439 yards of total offense represents the Wonder Boys’ highest output of the 2019 season to date.
•Tech’s 36 points are the highest point total for Arkansas Tech since November 4, 2017, when the Wonder Boys topped Southeastern Oklahoma 48-10.

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WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Henderson State totaled a season-high 19 runs on 20 hits in beating Southwestern Oklahoma 19-11, Friday in Weatherford, Okla.

The 19 runs and 20 hits are the most by a Reddie team in a Great American Conference single-game.

With winds blowing between 25 and 35 miles per hour, the two teams combined for 36 total hits including 12 for extra-bases.

Henderson, 25-13 overall and 18-7 in the GAC, scored runs in every inning except the third, including a five-run fifth-frame that helped propel the Reddies to the win.

Every player in the Reddie lineup had a hit, with seven players having at least two.

Brandon Pollock led the team going 4-for-6, including belting two triples while scoring four runs and driving home two.

Joseph Shepherd was 3-for-5 on the day with a double, three runs scored and a run batted in, while Caleb Carr was 2-for-5, with three runs scored and 3 RBI.

Daniel Colasanto continued his hot hitting in GAC games going 2-for-6 at the plate with a double, scoring three times and driving home a pair of runs. 

Dalton Guthrie came off the bench and went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI.

Also having multiple hits were Brentten Schwaab and Bryson Haskins, both going 2-for-6 at the plate, each scoring twice. 

Bryant Haralson improved to 7-2 on the year, pitching seven innings while striking out five batters.

Brayden Bebee finished the game, shutting out the Bulldogs the final two innings while surrendering just one hit.

The two teams will finish the three game series with a double-header on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Harding volleyball team defeated Southwestern Oklahoma 3-1 (25-12, 25-17, 23-25, 25-13) Thursday in the first round of the Great American Conference Tournament at Bank of the Ozarks Arena. The Lady Bisons had 14 team blocks which tied for the most in the NCAA era in a conference tournament match.

The Lady Bisons, the No. 2 seed, advances to play No. 3 seed Oklahoma Baptist Friday at 3:30 p.m., in the semifinals of the GAC Tournament.

Harding improves to 26-5 overall and Southwestern Oklahoma falls to 13-20 overall.

FIRST SET

Trailing 5-3 in the first set, Harding went on a 17-4 run to lead 20-9. The Lady Bisons won the set off a kill and a service ace by Zoe Hardin. Harding held Southwestern Oklahoma to hitting -.062 in the set.

SECOND SET

With the second set tied at four, Harding went on a 5-1 run on three kills. After a 3-0 run by Southwestern Oklahoma to make it a 10-8 set, Harding didn’t allow the Bulldogs to get any closer than three as the Lady Bisons won 25-17.

THIRD SET

Trailing 3-2, Southwestern Oklahoma went on an 8-1 run to lead 10-4. Harding then took back the lead on 7-0 run to lead 11-10. Trailing 20-19, the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to lead 23-20. The Lady Bisons battled back to cut the lead to one, 24-23 but a kill by Danusia Sipa Brogeau gave Southwestern Oklahoma the set. Harding had eight attack errors in the set.

FOURTH SET

Harding jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the third set and then extended its lead to 19-7 on a 5-0 run. Emily Clayton had a kill to give the Lady Bisons the set 25-13. Harding had 14 kills and held the Bulldogs to hitting .000 in the set.

STATS

Harding

– Harding had 51 kills in the match, led by Zoe Hardin who had 12. Hardin also hit .333 and had seven blocks.

– Taylor Mounts had 11 kills for Harding.

– Rachel Heussner captured a double-double with 48 assists and 17 digs.

– Taylor Lake led the defense with 22 digs. Madison Poen had 14 digs, Selena Foster had 13 and Taylor Eubank had 12.

Southwestern Oklahoma

– Southwestern Oklahoma hit .045 in the match and had 33 attack errors.

– Ddanusia Sipa Borgeau led the Bulldogs with 15 kills.

– Kaitlyn Dillon had 22 digs for Southwestern Oklahoma.

QUOTE

Head Coach Meredith Fear: “I feel good about the effort the ladies put forth today. Southwestern Oklahoma made some smart changes in the third, but we adjusted and got the win.”

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MONTICELLO — The University of Arkansas at Monticello softball team swept the overall series against Great American Conference foe Southwestern Oklahoma State Sunday afternoon with two wins over the Bulldogs at 5-1, and 3-2.

Game one for Arkansas-Monticello (20-10, 13-5 GAC) saw the Blossoms control the pace of the match-up throughout its entirety against SWOSU (10-18, 4-14 GAC), scoring in five of the seven innings of the game.

UAM opened up the first contest with a run in both the first and third innings, and continued those scoring ways in the fourth with a Korie Parker single to center field which scored Jordan Herbner for the 3-0 lead.

McKenzie Rice belted a shot to left field in the bottom of the sixth for the two-run home-run to extend the home lead out to 5-0, and would ultimately be enough to seal the game at 5-1 overall.

Kendra Coleman (12-3) racked up her 12th overall win in the match-up, throwing the full 7.0 innings for her 14th complete game of the year as well, and totaled five strikeouts on the day as well.

The final match-up of the series between these two programs was the closest of them yet with UAM scoring once again in the bottom half of the first inning on a Maranda Clendenin RBI fielder’s choice.

SWOSU answered in the following inning however with a run of its own to even the game up at 1-1. The Blossoms broke the tie in the fifth inning though after an Aubree Head two-run single to left center gave the home squad the 3-1 advantage, and despite allowing one run in the top of the seventh, went on to seal the series sweep of the Bulldogs.

Kaylee Freeman (4-4) also threw a complete game in the circle to earn her fourth win on the year. Freeman allowed only one earned run, and recorded two strikeouts in her third complete game of the season.

Arkansas-Monticello will be back in action next on Friday, March 31, as UAM will host the Reddies of Henderson State in a four-game GAC series in Monticello, with game one slated for a 1 p.m. start time.

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WEATHERFORD, Okla. — The University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball team defeated the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State this afternoon on the road to open the three game series, 16-10.

The Weevils (16-10, 12-4 GAC) scored first in this Great American Conference match-up against the Bulldogs of SWOSU (9-16, 5-9 GAC) with an Austin Brakebill single to center field for the early lead in the second inning.

Southwestern answered back however with three runs of its own the the bottom half of the inning, and added two additional runs in the third to hold a 5-1 advantage over UAM.

Arkansas-Monticello’s offense caught fire in the fourth though scoring eight total runs by way of RBI singles from Brakebill and Brian Ray, along with a three-run home-run by Brady Weiss to shoot UAM out to a 9-5 lead.

The scoring continued in the following inning for the Weevils beginning with a Ray home-run to right field, and followed up with UAM scoring two more runs on wild pitches by the Bulldogs.

Southwestern began to generate a comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring five runs to trail UAM 14-10. Sean Wagner tripled in the top of the eighth however to ultimately secure the Arkansas-Monticello game one victory at 16-10 in Weatherford.

Grant Black (5-2) picked up his fifth win on the season throwing 6.2 total innings, and recorded nine strikeouts on the day. Jared Libke came on in relief to pitch the final 2.1 innings, giving up zero runs, and struck out four total batters.

UAM will return to the field Saturday, March 25, as the Weevils will wrap up its GAC series with Southwestern Oklahoma State with a doubleheader in Weatherford, Oklahoma with first pitch in game one set for 12 p.m.

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One will wear SWOSU blue, while the other wears SAU blue.

But make no mistake. Each will be cheering for the other.

Tony Aska is a staple on the Southern Arkansas men’s team. The senior from Meridian, Okla., who graduated from Coyle High School, is averaging 7.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

His impact for the Muleriders is big, but not as big as that upon his younger sister, Tyra.

Tyra is a freshman starting for Southwestern. Also a Coyle graduate, Tyra is averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 boards each night. But it hasn’t always been easy for her in her first year and she looked to big brother for inspiration.

“At the beginning of the semester, he was my motivation,” Tyra said.

“Preseason was hard. I asked him if it got easier, and he told me just to push through. He’s always there when I need him.”

And according to Tyra, that’s the kind of brother he is.

“He’s a big brother, but sometimes he thinks he’s like our bodyguard, our protector,” Tyra said.

Tony is the second born of five children in the family. And as the only son, he said that is what he is supposed to do.

“Dad worked a lot when we were younger and I was big brother, and the only brother, I felt it was my duty.”

Tyra has looked to Tony for most than just protection.

“He and I are, I would say, the closest out of all our siblings,” Tyra said. “I would always watch him play. And during the summer, he would always tell me that I need to get to the gym and I need to do this.

“He was like another coach instead of a brother sometimes. When we got to play together, it was great. And now we get to play together in the same conference. And it’s fun when we get to see other.”

She may have learned more about the game from her brother, but he give shed credit for having the better moves.

“Neither one of us are really fancy with the ball, but I’d probably give it to her,” Tony said.

The two did well in the season’s first doubleheader between the two schools as a part of the Great American Conference double round robin schedule.

Tony went for a double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and had three blocks in an 80-76 loss to the Bulldogs. Tyra filled her stat line with six points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals and the Lady Dawgs won, 71-61.

And when their schools play tonight?

“I’m going to cheer for my brother, definitely,” Tyra said. “I’m going to split. I’m going to clap for our boys, but I’m always going to cheer for my brother.”

“I’ll be cheering for my sister,” Tony said. “Hopefully she has a good game. I want her to play the game to the best of her ability without any hurt, harm or damage.”

Tyra will take to the court first in Magnolia as the women’s game is set to tip at 5:30 p.m. Tony and the men will follow about 20 minutes after.

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Women: Arkansas Tech (14-2, 10-2 GAC) vs. Southwestern (11-6, 7-4 GAC)
Men: Arkansas Tech (12-4, 8-4 GAC) vs. Southwestern (5-12, 2-9 GAC)
Tip: Women’s game scheduled for 11 a.m., men’s game scheduled for 1 p.m.

Here are five things you need to know to get ready:

• This will be the first nationally televised event in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center. The “Jewel of Western Oklahoma” was formally opened three years ago, almost to the day (Jan. 25, 2014). It has been host to numerous college and high school basketball games, volleyball matches, other sporting events, concerts, conventions, expos and more.

• Although 2.5 games behind Arkansas Tech in the conference standings, the Southwestern Lady Dawgs may be the hunted in this one, instead of the hunters. The Golden Suns likely are looking for revenge for the 72-69 loss they suffered in the Tucker Coliseum. It was the first loss of the season for ATU and snapped a seven-game winning streak for ATU over SWOSU. Hayden Priddy had 17 points in the win and Hailey Tucker went for 16 points and nine rebounds, nearly a double-double, which is what Tucker has done for most of the season – average a double-double. Going into Saturday’s game, the sophomore is leading the GAC in scoring (18.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg) for the league’s highest scoring team (79.8 ppg)

• Tech comes into the matchup as the No. 17 team in the country. The Golden Suns will try to counter the league’s top two scorers in Tucker and Priddy (15.5 ppg) with the GAC’s most stingy defense, which is giving up only 60.1 points each night. ATU didn’t shoot the ball well in the second half against SWOSU back in November, giving up a 19-point second quarter lead, but have improved and lead the conference with a .443 field goal percentage. Cheyenne North had 34 points against SNU in December, tied for a league high this season and Anissa Pounds also had a season high in the conference with seven made three-pointers against Ouachita. Something will have to give on the boards as the Golden Suns hold their opponents to a league-low 33.1 rebounds per game, while Southwestern is hauling in a league high 44.9 rebounds per game.

• On the men’s side, Arkansas Tech has won three straight, including an upset over previously unbeaten No. 16 Arkansas-Monticello one week ago. The Wonder Boys took the first meeting this year, 84-67, and were led by Montrell Williams, who scored 27 points. ATU also took advantage of its size and outscored SWOSU 34-12 in the paint. Bennie Lufile leads the conference with 9.6 rebounds per game. A high-scoring game would seem to favor ATU as the Wonder Boys like to put up points, averaging a league-high 88.2 points each night. But they do also give up a league-high 83.1 points each night. The Wonder Boys have four players in the top 25 in scoring, led by Alex Brown with 15.1 ppg.

• The Bulldogs have struggled to make shots this season and are at the bottom of the GAC standings in points scored, scoring margin, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Marquise Champion has had the hot hand of late, scoring 15, 21 and 35 points in the Bulldogs most recent contests. The Bulldogs will also need to keep ATU off the glass and could ride momentum off Thursday’s game against Harding. Dominique Lubin had a career-high rebounding night, pulling down 16 boards, the most this season for a SWOSU player, and Collin Jennings also grabbed 10 rebounds, which was also a personal career high.

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SEARCY – On a hot Homecoming afternoon, the No. 5 Harding Bisons rolled up 506 rushing yards and defeated Southwestern Oklahoma 42-27 to remain undefeated and clinch at least a share of the Great American Conference championship.

A crowd of 5,100 at First Security Stadium witnessed the fifth-best rushing effort in program history and the eighth 500-yard rushing effort. Quarterback Park Parish and slot back Zach Shelley both rushed for over 100 yards and had two touchdown each.

The victory moved Harding to 9-0 with two games remaining in the regular season. The Bisons last won a regular-season conference championship in 1989 when Harding was a member of the NAIA Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference.

Southwestern Oklahoma had its four-game winning streak snapped and fell to Harding in Searcy for the fourth consecutive game.

Parish rushed for a career-high 153 yards and scored Harding’s first and last touchdowns. The last coming after Southwestern Oklahoma had closed Harding’s lead to 35-27 with 7:49 remaining on a 7-yard Karltrell Henderson run.

Parish guided the offense 61 yards on 10 plays, and his 23-yard run that included two broken tackles gave Harding a 15-point lead with only 2:23 left in the game.

Shelley had 133 rushing yards on only seven carries, a 19.0-yard average, and scored on runs of 66 yards late in the first quarter and 58 yards on Harding’s first possession of the second half.

Harding controlled the ball for almost 41 minutes and gained a season-high 560 yards on 78 plays. The Bisons have 1,093 total yards in their last two games. Southwestern ran only 50 plays, including just 17 rushing plays, the fewest ever in a game by a Harding opponent.

The Bulldogs caned 378 total yards but were only 2 of 10 on third down. Southwestern had the ball fewer than five minutes in each quarter except the first.

Harding’s defensive standouts included senior defensive back Scott Middleton, who had seven tackles, including a tackle for loss, and two pass breakups. Junior Daylon Markham had five tackles and his second interception of the season. He returned it 32 yards to the Southwestern 11, and Dwayne Carter scored two plays later on a 4-yard run to give Harding a 28-13 lead at halftime.

Harding plays its final regular-season road game next Saturday at Northwestern Oklahoma in Alva. Kickoff is a 2 p.m.

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Today on the GAC Weekly, we get to hear from Harding quarterback Park Parish and Southwestern outside hitter Carly Zak.

GAC Weekly Oct. 5, 2016

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We wrap up the 2015-2016 athletic season with a series of Podcasts visiting with the coaches of the conference champions during the year. Today’s visit is with Southwestern volleyball coach Josh Collins.

GAC Weekly June 8, 2016

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