Instant Classic, Beebe at Crossett

Well Badger fans, if you didn't get to go to Crossett or didn't get to listen to the game live on NEARSports radio, then you missed an instant classic. The Badgers won their 5A Southeast opener in double overtime over the Crossett Eagles 18-12. I am hoping that the audio on demand will be available soon and I will be uploading this game onto the AOD. My thanks to Russ Lindsey for doing the color commentary for me. He did a great job and added a lot to the broadcast. Congradulations to Coach Shannon and the Badgers for a great win!

Announcement concerning a special broadcast

This week, the junior Badgers game at CAC on Thursday will be broadcast on NEARSports radio/Badger Sports Network. I am hoping that at least two junior high games will be broadcast this season. Our pre-game coverage will begin at approximately 6:40-6:45 with the kickoff coming at 7 PM. I hope ya'll enjoy this special broadcast of BJHS football on NEARSports.

5A Southeast Conference opener, Beebe at Crossett, Sept. 25, 2009

Well Badger fans, conference play is finally here. The Badgers will travel to Crossett to take on the Eagles in the 5A Southeast Conference opener for both teams. Crossett is coached by Greg Johnson, who formerly coached at Hamburg, while Beebe Coach John Shannon was an assistant at Crossett from 1991-1994. This is a huge game for both teams, as the winner gets a bit of a leg up in the conference race. This game is also important for Beebe as the Badgers have started out 0-3 and a win will do a lot to boost the confidence of these young Badgers. Don't forget, we'll start our broadcast with our weekly coaches show, Countdown to Kickoff, starting at approximately 6:15 or 6:20 and then DJ Jones and I will have live pregame and then we'll have the kickoff at 7 PM between the Badgers and the Crossett Eagles.

week three- Vilonia at Beebe, Sept. 18, 2009

Well friends, it was another tough night for the Beebe Badgers as they fought hard, but suffer their third loss in as many games as the Vilonia Eagles used their smashmouth Double Wing offense to defeat the Badgers 35-24 at Bro Erwin Stadium on Friday night. The Eagles got things started with a touchdown run by Vilonia QB Eric Ebemeyer. Then the Eagles got another score to go up 14-0 in the 2nd quarter. However, the Badgers would strike back on a 27 yard run by quarterback Scot Gowen and with the made two point conversion, Beebe was with 14-8, however, on the ensuing kickoff, Vilonia HB James Sax returns the kickoff 55 yards for the touchdown, however, on the return, there was some pushing and shoving involving Beebe and Vilonia players. It was 21-8 at halftime, however, the Badgers would come out in the 2nd half with more energy. BHS senior fullback Adam Griffis scored the first of his two touchdowns and with the two point conversion, the Badgers were within 21-16, however, the Eagles would once again score and make the score 28-16. The Badgers were not through as Scot Gowen would complete his only pass of the night, a 60 yard pass to senior Charles Latture who was dragged down at the Vilonia 1 yard line. Griffis ran it in and with the two point conversion, the Badgers were within 28-24, however, the Eagles tacked on another touchdown to make the final score 35-24. The Badgers had 303 yards of total offense, with 243 coming on the ground. Gowen led the Badgers with 101 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Griffis added 80 yards rushing.

week two- Beebe at Lonoke, Sept. 11, 2009

Well Badger fans, this season isn't starting out so hot. In the annual "Battle of Highway 31", the Lonoke Jackrabbits used an unbelievable running attack and an elusive quarterback to outlast the Beebe Badgers, 40-30 at Abrams Stadium in Lonoke. Just like last week, the Badgers did have an early lead in the 1st half, but the combination of the Lonoke running game, led by senior Brandon Smith, and the passing duo of Michael Nelson to Todd Hobson was just too much for the Badgers to overcome. Smith broke the backs of the Badger defense with a 65 yard touchdown run on the 1st play of the 2nd half, while the Nelson-Hobson duo connected for three touchdowns. However, there were some positives, most notably, senior fullback Adam Griffis. Griffis scored two touchdowns and had a career night rushing, with 158 yards rushing. Reece Totty continued his great play on defense, actually earning defensive player of the game honors. It was a nightmare game for quarterback Scot Gowen, who despite throwing a touchdown pass, also threw three interceptions. The Badgers will have one more non-conference game to work on their weaknesses as the Vilonia Eagles come to town Friday night for the annual "Battle of Highway 64" showdown.

thoughts about the NFL

Well football fans, the NFL has ended its preseason and this Thursday, will start the first game of what they call "kickoff weekend". I can't wait and plan to watch as much NFL as I can. I would like to share a few thoughts about the preseason and the offseason as we get ready to start the 2009 NFL season:

1. Obviously the big story was the reinstatement of Michael Vick to the league. A lot of dog owners I know aren't happy that he's getting to play again. I do believe in giving a second chance to someone. Hopefully, he'll take advantage of this 2nd chance. I know the Eagles are excited to have his play-making abilities. One person that isn't happy about Vick joining the Eagles is A.J. Feeley. He's been with the Eagles a long time and this past weekend, he was cut. By the end of the season, we'll know if this experiment worked.

2. A lot of former Razorbacks were cut by teams. Andrew Davie and Marcus Monk were cut by the Carolina Panthers just to name a couple. I didn't think that Davie would have much of a shot, but I thought Monk had a decent shot to make the roster. The Panthers are in need of tall, athletic receivers. Its obvious that Monk's knee injury suffered before the start of his senior season at Arkansas really was worse than Houston Nutt let on. Other former Hogs let go were DeCori Birmingham, Jamar Love, and Jose Valdez. Hopefully, those guys will latch on w/ other teams.

3. Another big story was Brett Favre unretiring again and signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Its obvious that Brett just can't leave the game. At 40 though, he is better than a lot of 30ish quarterbacks. One rumor coming out of Minnesota this past week was that the Vikings were shopping Tarvaris Jackson around. Honestly, I never thought that he was a starting quarterback. He couldn't cut it at Arkansas, but had a decent career at Alabama State. Only time will tell on this one.

4. If you're an offensive coordinator, you better do your job and get results. The Bills, Chiefs, and Buccaneers all fired their offensive coordinator's BEFORE the season began. Wow!!! I bet they'll be some head coaches on the hot seat towards the end of the season. It certainly is all about what you did for me lately.

A random thought.....this is who should sing the theme for the next James Bond movie

I think Carrie Underwood would do a good job and I can guarantee that there would be plenty more guys to see that Bond movie if she did the theme song ;)

Summary of week one- Greenbrier 31 Beebe 22

Well, Friday night was certainly not what Badger fans were hoping for.........a win. However, despite the loss, there are positives that one can draw from the loss to Greenbrier. For one, Adam Griffis proved that he could play fullback. Griffis, who rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown against Greenbrier, worked very hard in the offseason, ran harder and better in the second half. Also, Victor Howell, one of the tailbacks in Coach Shannon's Dead T offense, electrified the crowd with a 68 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter, despite nearly being pushed out of bounds 15 yards from the goaline. Griffis, who was the NEARSports/Badger Sports Network's defensive player of the game, played like a monster in the 2nd half on defense. Tyler Ratz got a sack on Greenbrier sophomore quarterback Niel Burcham, who lit up the Badger defense. Scot Gowen, in his first start at quarterback, did a solid job of moving the offense up and down the field. Gowen also had a 66 yard run in the 1st half to help set up Beebe's first score. The rain did hold off for the game and the crowd was awesome, especially on the Greenbrier side. What will the future hold for both teams? Who knows, but both teams are young and can only go up.

Beebe at Lonoke, Sept. 11, 2009

Well, week two for the Badgers is the annual battle of Highway 31 between the Badgers and the Lonoke Jackrabbits. Lonoke(1-0), is coming off a big win over Pulaski Robinson while the Badgers(0-1) are coming off a tough loss against Greenbrier. The Jackrabbits have a new coach in Doug Bost and are hoping to continue their early season momentum. The Badgers are looking to rebound off of their loss. What will happen? Its anyone's guess, but when it comes to Lonoke and Beebe, both teams will leave everything on the field.

New message forum just for Badger fans!!

Hey there Badger fans, some exciting news! Our webmaster up at NEARSports informed me today that she has not only updated the Beebe page at www.nearsports.com, but has also made a forum, just for the Badgers. In case the link above doesn't come up, it is www.nearsportsradio.com/beebeforum. I have started discussion posts for both the senior high and the junior high. Please feel free to join in the discussion, but please, keep it clean. Thanks again and I look forward to some great discussions!!