I’m coming home! I am stoked and grateful to announce that I am the newest Sports Anchor + Reporter at
@WPSDLocal6
.
I spent the first 18 years of my life in western Kentucky and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to continue telling meaningful stories in a place that is home.
Colorado WR/DB and current Heisman favorite Travis Hunter spent part of his bye week at Murray State this afternoon, taking in the Racers' matchup against
#4
South Dakota.
Hunter was supporting his fiancée's brother, Murray State freshman linebacker Jordan Sonnabend.
Ja Morant was asked by
@TheAdamBWells
about his health.
"If I had to pick a number I'd say probably 75%, and I feel like that's still scary for whoever's in front of me"
Morant is in Murray hosting a camp ahead of his HOF Induction. More to come tonight at 6 & 10 on
@WPSDLocal6
Ja Morant hosted a sold-out camp this morning in Memphis.
The former Racer was asked about his induction to the
@MSURacers
Hall of Fame on July 27.
"I'm forever grateful and thankful for them. That's always my family."
🎥:
@GDeMarraisTV
Former A-State DL Forrest Merrill (
@FMThE3rd
) recorded his first NFL tackle tonight on this play in the fourth quarter.
Merrill was signed from the Chargers' practice squad earlier today.
@AStateFB
Arkansas State RB Ja'Quez Cross (
@j_cross3
) just got a helmet sticker on ESPN's College Football Final.
Cross had 320 all-purpose yards (139 rush, 15 rec., 166 kickoff return) and 4 total TDs (3 rushing, 93 yd kickoff return TD).
Video: ESPN.
More:
Arkansas State is expected to be a part of EA Sports' newest College Football video game.
The school tells me EA reached out, and A-State has sent assets "in order to replicate the various elements in the game."
More (H/T
@MattBrownEP
for some info):
Derrian Ford (
@thetruthballers
) detailed his decision to come to
@AStateMB
:
"I'm just ready to try and turn the program around, me and the other guys, and I feel that we can do that with the right puzzle pieces."
Catch the full interview with Ford here:
Some bittersweet news to share. This is my final week here in Jonesboro.
I cannot thank everyone enough for welcoming me here to Region 8. I moved here in possibly one of the worst times to start fresh out of college in 2020, but I felt welcomed and loved by this community 1/🧵
Things were pretty heated postgame between the Bobcats and the Red Wolves.
After Tristan Stivors recorded the final out, he waved goodbye at A-State's bench.
Words were shared between the teams postgame.
I'm going to need a
@JomboyMedia
breakdown of this soon.
FREDDY. HICKS. GAME. WINNER.
The Searcy native boosts Arkansas State to their first Sun Belt Championship game in 17 years, Red Wolves beat the
#1
seed App State 67-65 and will face the winner of James Madison and Texas State tomorrow night at 6.
@AStateMB
One interesting development for
#AState
football this week: Wyatt Begeal has been getting reps at WR.
The QB had a couple catches at today's practice.
Butch Jones says he wants to see the redshirt freshman more involved in the offense.
Had to get Austin Reaves' reaction to
@jovanbuha
's article about him in The Athletic, specifically the quote from
@SpencerReaves31
that the two are "about even" in 1-on-1.
I'll have more from the Reaves camp on this weekend's sportscasts.
Full interview:
Bryan Hodgson in his postgame visit with
@redwolfvoice
: (Montana's) Aanen Moody told me in the postgame handshake that Derrian Ford guarded him better than anybody had since the Grizzlies played Houston.
Moody, who had 34 points yesterday, was held to 4 points today.
Preseason KenPom Sun Belt MBB projections:
121. App State
134. Southern Miss
136. James Madison
153. South Alabama
162. Marshall
172. Arkansas State
179. Old Dominion
184. Louisiana
189. Texas St
201. Georgia St
221. Troy
236. Georgia Southern
250. Coastal Carolina
305. ULM
This time last year, Jaylen Raynor (
@JaylenRaynor_
) was torching defenses in high school.
Now, the true freshman is setting records for Arkansas State, accounting for over 1,000 total yards and 12 TDs in 4 games
Catch my feature on the
@AStateFB
QB here:
I'm excited to officially announce that I will be joining the
@Region8News
Sports team!
This is a dream come true, and I'm ready to get started next week and to pump out great content with the one and only
@ChrisHudgison
Malik Hornsby announced his commitment to Arkansas State on Instagram last night.
The former Arkansas & Texas State QB will switch to WR and will line up on the outside for the Red Wolves, a spot that is open with Jeff Foreman graduating.
More:
I asked LeBron James about Austin Reaves performance: "It's not surprising to me... it's not surprising what he was doing tonight."
Reaves in his first career playoff game: 23 points (career high 14 in the 4th quarter), 4 assists.
Biggest disappointment of the night: We were denied a big man 2-point conversion.
Referees called back this play, saying it was an illegal forward pass.
Would've made it a 48-38 game.
PERSONAL NEWS: I signed a contract extension with
@Region8News
earlier this week.
As
@TurnerSportsEJ
once said, this is a 'get to' job and I'm excited to get to be in Region 8 to talk some sports for a little while longer!
ICYMI: Ja Morant weekend officially tipped off at Murray State. Here’s a snippet of my story from day 1 of his basketball camp.
Morant gets inducted into the Racer Hall of Fame Saturday night at 6pm.
Watch the full story here:
Bryan Hodgson commended senior LaQuill Hardnett after Arkansas State's 95-78 win over South Alabama.
The Buffalo transfer has been dealing with injuries all year, Hodgson said LaQuill approached the coaching staff to make today all about Caleb Fields.
MBB, FINAL: Arkansas State 95, South Alabama 78
The Red Wolves keep it rolling with a dominating win over South Alabama on Caleb Fields’ senior day.
In typical Fields fashion, he gets a double double with 10 points and 11 assists
15-14, 10-6 Sun Belt.
JUST IN: Murray State announces a plan to renovate the CFSB Center at its Board of Regents meeting today.
Renderings include bowling in the arena, adding premium suites, courtside seating, a “first of its kind” bunker club, and much more. More to come tonight on
@WPSDLocal6
A few takeaways from tonight:
1. Saying goodbye to Arkansas State is extremely hard. The people + the media members covering them are amazing.
2. I need guest Sports Anchor
@CoachButchJones
to be a thing. Please make this happen
@HattonWeeks
@ChrisHudgison
Longtime head coach Scott Bowlin (
@bearkatzbbhoops
) called it a career after 39 seasons on the bench.
I talked with the State Champion coach last week after he coached his final game in the AAA All-Star Game.
Full interview:
Jaylen Raynor has tied Justice Hansen for the most touchdowns thrown in a single game in Arkansas State history.
Raynor connects with Adam Jones for a 55-yard TD. It's the true freshman's sixth TD.
Hansen vs. SEMO in 2018: 26-36, 423 yds, 6 TD
Raynor today: 20-25, 383 yds, 6 TD
Safe to say today is a memorable one for
@PaulSimmonsHU
. He coached
@Harding_FB
to a Division II Semifinal win, then at 6:30 he'll watch his sons, Wyatt and Tanner, play in the 4A State Title game as Harding Academy faces Rivercrest.
"I probably can't handle any more blessings."
Arkansas State's top 5 highest-graded players on PFF this week:
OFFENSE
1. Ja'Quez Cross (2nd FBS)
2. Tyler Little
3. Courtney Jackson (6th FBS)
4. Jaylen Raynor
5. Jacob Bayer (top graded C in FBS)
DEFENSE
1. D. Motley
2. M. Straker
3. C. Willekes
4. L. Jones
5. T. Geathers
All 3 of Johnnie Lang's TDs tonight (receiving, rushing, kickoff return).
Lang: 254 all-purpose yards, now up to 936 for the season (was 3rd in FBS entering tonight's game).
Full press conference with Lang, James Blackman, Kivon Bennett and Butch Jones:
I have been ending my reports with "Logan Whaley, Region 8 Sports" for over a year and a half now.
I helped out with election coverage tonight. I was mentally telling myself to tag out with "Region 8 NEWS."
I didn't listen to myself 😅😅
@LocalTVSPXPrbs
We had
@NjTank99
and
@Return_Of_RB
join us for the postgame press conference.
@CoachBHodgson
put on his journalist hat and asked Frank about operating the t-shirt cannon. Frank and the Barstool crew spent the day around the Arkansas State campus.
More:
Searcy alum and Tarleton State standout Freddy Hicks (
@FreddyHicks7
) committed to
@AStateMB
today.
"When I got to Arkansas State, it was just something different," Hicks told me.
Hicks led the Texans, averaging 16 PPG last season.
Full interview:
Former Arkansas State/Notre Dame kicker Blake Grupe became the 8th NFL rookie since 2000 to hit 30 FGs in a season after going 2-2 today.
He's only the 4th
#Saints
player to hit 30+ in a season in franchise history.
Grupe finishes the year 30-37 with 6 makes from 50+ (T-8th).
With Arkansas State’s win and Southern Miss + Louisiana losing, the Red Wolves have clinched the
#4
seed and a double bye to the Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinals.
It’s the first time the Red Wolves have been a top 4 seed since 2014.
A-State will play Saturday, March 9 at 2pm.
I asked
@CoachBHodgson
about his battle-tested Red Wolves after Arkansas State's 79-71 win over Troy.
"I think a month ago we lose [this] game... we just beat a really good basketball team for the 2nd time in 7 days."
Full
@AStateMB
press conference:
Jonesboro alum Jacob Weatherley has only allowed 1 run over his last three outings (12.0 IP, 10 K).
Head Coach Chris Curry tells me the sophomore has earned a spot back in the rotation.
More:
@LittleRockBSB
@CaneBSB
Arkansas State will compete in the College Basketball Invitational. Red Wolves are the
#4
seed and will play
#13
Bethune-Cookman Saturday at 1:00 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach
I talked with Cedar Ridge alum Austin Reaves in the locker room before the Lakers took the court.
"Not a lot of people get this opportunity so to be in this position, it's cool. It's special and hopefully we can make a run at it."
I asked
@AStateMB
head coach Bryan Hodgson about the possibility of his team playing in a postseason tournament.
"Several have reached out... I'd sure love to coach these guys for a few more games... we'll hopefully have an answer on that sometime in the next week or so."
Butch Jones: Really disappointing. I thought they out athleted us. The speed differential is the most glaring I’ve seen in my career.
You have to be disciplined in the details… we got exposed today. I am responsible for this. We did not play to our standard of performance.
From Police Chief Rick Elliott: Both the bystander who aimed a gun at protestors and the person who was throwing items over the interstate bridge are in custody.
The Reaves Brothers wrapped up their first basketball camp of the summer.
Cedar Ridge alums Austin & Spencer Reaves were in Cabot, they'll make their way to NEA starting tomorrow at Valley View.
Video thanks to
@JackAllenTV
More:
Caleb Fields got First National Bank Arena rocking with this steal and slam.
@thtboycaleb
had 15 second half points, a game-high 19 in total as the Red Wolves beat Coastal Carolina 73-57.
@AStateMB
Really cool ending to Marked Tree/Cairo in the Small Town Country Classic.
With MT up a lot, Cairo had the final possession. Jalen Johnson was in the game in the 4th and looked to be unable to run.
He had the final shot, a buzzer beater. The reaction from both sides say it all.
Preseason Bart Torvik Sun Belt MBB projections:
103. James Madison
115. App State
119. Southern Miss
146. Marshall
170. Arkansas State
192. Old Dominion
215. Georgia State
219. Texas State
223. South Alabama
235. Georgia Southern
240. Troy
278. ULM
314. Coastal Carolina
Here's some video from the last time Arkansas State won a postseason tournament game (before today).
Bobby Gross hits a free throw with 11 seconds left, the Indians beat Memphis State 58-57 in the 2nd round of the 1991 NIT. Gross had 12 points.
More:
ICYMI: I sat down with Izzy Higginbottom (
@izzymoney30
) earlier today.
"I would love to learn from (
@Coach_Dezz
) and build something special at Arkansas State... I know how much it means to me to get this opportunity."
Full interview with Izzy:
I asked
@CoachBalado
about the first time he saw Norchad Omier in person.
Balado: "I went down and watched him [play against] IMG. 41 points, 17 rebounds later, I almost kidnapped him..."
Hear more on how Omier became a Red Wolf tonight on Region 8 Sports.
@AStateMB
Arkansas State's Jeff Foreman (
#Raiders
), Leon Jones (
#Bears
), and Jalen Cunningham (
#Chiefs
) each signed with NFL teams this evening.
Catch highlights + more details below.
More:
@AStateFB
Butch: I remember having sleepless nights last year. Not to take anything away from last year’s team, but it’s a night-and-day difference. We didn’t play to a scoreboard, we played to a standard tonight and that’s what we’re trying to build.
Julian Lual (
@juliannlual
) over the past 2 games for
@AStateMB
: 21 points, 70% FG, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 43 minutes played.
I asked Lual and Mike Balado about adjusting to life at A-State.
More from Lual, Balado and Malcolm Farrington:
The first-ever Reaves basketball camp is in the books.
Austin and
@SpencerReaves31
hosted the three-day camp at Lyon this week.
"It's a lot. It's everything to us," Spencer said.
Full interview:
#Lakers
Lyon football looks to trend upward in 2022.
The Scots open their season Saturday in Batesville against Missouri Baptist at 6.
Full interviews with
@LyonHBC
, Jacob Fore (Cave City alum), Isaiah Bradford:
@LyonAthletics
Arkansas State RB Lincoln Pare has signed a NIL deal with Pizza Inn.
The S Caraway location in Jonesboro will hold two autograph signing sessions with Pare in the coming weeks.
@AStateFB
in the NFL update:
J.D. McKissic - Backup RB, WFT
Omar Bayless - Signed to Carolina's practice squad
Kirk Merritt - Signed to Miami's practice squad
Demario Davis - Starting ILB, NOLA
Forrest Merrill - Backup DL, LAC
Aaron Donkor - Signed to Seattle's practice squad
Blake Grupe (
@blakegrupe
) had a career day this afternoon for the
#Saints
The rookie tied a franchise record with 5 FGs (with a long of 52 yds). He's just the 4th Saints kicker to hit 5 in a single game (1st since 2004).
📸: New Orleans Saints
Recap:
Couple of Arkansas State NFL news, according to sources:
WR Te’Vailance Hunt has a rookie minicamp invite with the
#Chiefs
OL Jordan Rhodes has a rookie minicamp invite with the
#Saints
@AStateSoccer
improves to 1-0-1 after a successful road trip in Washington.
Sarah Sodoma struck first, while A-State held Eastern Washington to just one shot on goal, winning 1-0.
Highlights courtesy ESPN+.
Wild final 2 minutes between Arkansas State and Bethune-Cookman.
Red Wolves turned it over on the inbounds, Bethune-Cookman, down 3, drives for the layup instead of taking a 3. A-State inbounds and takes the 86-85 victory in the first round of the CBI.
Video: FloHoops
NAIA Football, FINAL: Lyon (1-0) 24, Missouri Baptist (0-1) 12
Scots take the season opener in front of a good crowd at Pioneer Stadium.
Lyon: 186 rushing yards, 3 TDs.
Highlights to come tonight at 10
Arkansas State women's basketball lands a commit from USF/Daytona State transfer Bella Weary.
Weary, who recently decommitted from App State, averaged over 15 PPG and was top 20 in NJCAA in steals, averaging 3 per game.
More:
And A-State makes the Dyondre Dominguez addition official. He’ll have 2 years of eligibility left.
“He’s an elite defender… His length and versatility will be a huge benefit for us on both ends of the floor.” -
@CoachBHodgson
said.
More on
@dyondree
:
I talked with
@AStateFB
true freshman QB Jaylen Raynor (
@JaylenRaynor_
) over the weekend about his journey to Arkansas State, the success he's had, and much more.
Catch the story tonight at 10:15 on KAIT, and the K8 News app.
Corey Rucker was named the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Week.
Rucker had 9 receptions for 138 yards and 3 scores in Saturday's 40-21 win.
The second-year freshman now has 18 receptions for 448 yards and 7 TDs over his last 2 games.
@AStateFB
@coreyrckr7
@SunBeltFB
CBI QUARTERFINALS: Bryan Hodgson reflected on Arkansas State's 74-61 victory over Montana on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network.
He also detailed the defensive play of Derrian Ford, who was the primary defender on Aanen Moody (4 points, 4 turnovers)
More:
Arkansas State has picked up a commitment from former Arkansas and Texas State QB Malik Hornsby with the plan to move the speedster to slot receiver.
@AStateFB
#WolvesUp
Lipscomb transfer Cody Head commits to Arkansas State.
The A-Sun All-Freshman member appeared in 32 games and started 10, including each of the team's final 6 games in his true freshman season.
Shot 53% (35% from 3), averaged 8.1 PPG. Season-high 21 pts at Austin Peay in Feb.
Bryan Hodgson: Credit to James Madison, they played a complete game for 40 minutes.
We had defensive mistakes, were stagnant at times offensively and that’s on me. But I’m proud of this group. We’ve got a great group of dudes in that locker room
Hoxie alum ShunDerrick Powell was named the FCS Offensive Player of the Week.
Powell vs. Abilene Christian: 23 carries, 256 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions, 25 receiving yards, 1 TD
He's now up to 632 yards on 56 carries (11.3 YPC) this year.
More:
Before
@SunBelt
Player of the Year Norchad Omier (
@NorchadO
) came to
@AStateMB
, he was just a kid who loved playing sports growing up in Bluefields, Nicaragua.
I talked with Omier and
@CoachBalado
on Norchad's journey to A-State
Check out the story here:
Lyon baseball won its first AMC Regular Season Title since 2018 Friday, beating Hannibal-LaGrange in 7 innings.
The Scots play in the AMC Tournament Wednesday morning at 10:00 am.
More on
@LyonBaseball
:
I enjoyed catching up with Jonesboro alum Quion Williams earlier this week.
Williams, who was one of 2 freshmen for
@OSUMBB
, reflected on the team's NIT run and his offseason priorities while at his camp.
More on
@williams_quion
here:
Texas State had a chance to tie/win it but Caleb Fields forces turnover. Izaiyah Nelson hits FT on other end
Arkansas State men beat Texas State 85-82. 3-1 in SBC
Fields: 35 pts (career high), 10 ast
Nelson: 12 pts, 11 rebounds
Dominguez: 16 pts (6-6 FG)
Ford: 11 pts 3 reb
The life of legendary Arkansas State head coach/AD Larry Lacewell was celebrated in Jonesboro.
Lacewell had tenures with
@AStateFB
@OU_Football
@Vol_Football
&
@dallascowboys
, to name a few.
Jerry Jones, Barry Switzer & more reflected.
More: