By Amanda CorbinPDN Reporter

“I am committed to a system of accountability that is accurate, reliable and meaningful. In its current form, the A-F Report Cards are too flawed to be use-ful,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister said after the October release of the report cards. “I am optimis-tic that we can have a better system.”

Hofmeister’s words reflect what several local superintendents believe — the system is flawed.

“On behalf of our admin-istration, teachers and staff, we support a system of accountability to accurately measure the outcomes of our schools and the stu-dents we serve,” Howe Public Schools Superinten-dent Scott L. Parks said. “The problem with the cur-rent A-F grading system is that it does not accomplish this task. The current sys-tem is not valid and has been deemed a flawed

accountability system by most stakeholders in our state.”

Howe Public Schools garnered a “C minus” for the elementary school and “F” for the high school.

“Consistent with our schools’ mission, our administration, teachers and staff work hard to pro-vide a safe environment in which all of our students feel valued while being engaged in developmental-ly appropriate academic, social and extracurricular activities that enhance the skills and self-esteem need-ed to become productive

“The current system is not

valid and has been deemed fl awed by most stakeholders in our state.”

— Scott L. Parks Howe superintendent

$1.25 Weekend Edition Volume 120 No. 100 18 Pageswww.facebook.com/poteaudailynews

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton, left, and

Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr. accept fl ags

from the Skullyville Post Veterans Association

from Spiro during the Veterans Day ceremony

on Wednesday.

Oldest and youngest at the World’s Highest Hill 5-miler, 6A

• 3A Obituaries• 4A Opinions

• 1B Celebrations• 2,3B Faith, Devotion

• 4,5B Courthouse • 6-8B Comics, Classifi eds

Oldest and

I N S I D E : TV Guide,

American Profi le

PoteauDailyNews.com SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015SERVING LEFLORE COUNTY

Complete Sports 5-7A

Playoff picture — Game 1Poteau +The Poteau

Pirates defeated the Tulsa McLain/TSST Titans 47-19 Friday night at Costner Stadium to begin the Class 4A playoffs.

Community Christmas Tree

A-F school report cards called flawed

Talihina +In the Class A

playoffs, the Talihina Golden Tigers handled the Afton Eagles 60-14 Friday night at Doc Robinson Stadium.

Panama -The Panama

Razorbacks went on the road to begin the Class 2A playoffs but fell 42-13 to No. 7 Stroud on Friday night on the Tigers’ home field.

Keota +The Keota Lions

opened their Class B playoffs Friday night with a 54-8 home rout of the Woodland Cougars.

Julie Jenkins, front, and Kathleen Bishop help shape the community Christmas tree to get it prepared for more decorations. The tree is located in the first block of Dewey, and the public is encouraged to bring decorations to add to the display and truly make it a community tree. PDN photo by Trayce Kerbow

Kaitlyn Morris, left, was named Miss Poteau High School on Thursday night at the annual pageant at the Bob Lee Kidd Civic Center. Morris was crowned by her predecessor, Sunnie McConnell. First runner-up was Jordan Lowrimore, second runner-up Jilian Branscum, third runner-up Kelsey Ramsey and fourth runner-up Hannah Million. Photo submitted

Miss PHS Crowned

Wann Ranch to host state cattlemenThe Wann Ranch located near

Poteau is set to host the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Fall Gather-ing on Tuesday.

“All area cattlemen are welcome to come out to our ranch for a deli-cious meal,” said Roger Wann of Wann Ranch and member of the

OCA. “Anytime that cattlemen can come together and fellowship is enjoyable, but I also look forward to the tax discussion featuring Section 179 and accelerated depreciation.”

The gathering will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Wann Ranch sale facility, located southeast of Poteau. A prize

will be given to the individual who brings the most empty Ralgro Wheels and Merck Animal Health will donate $1 to the OCA for every empty Ral-gro Wheel collected.

“My family looks forward to see-

Grace Cottage fundraiser set TuesdayIt’ll soon be the Night

Before Christmas at the Donald W. Reynolds Cen-ter in Poteau for the annual Grace Cottage banquet Tuesday.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at

6:30 p.m. Titled the “Night Before Christmas,” the banquet will feature speak-er J.J. Jasper. Jasper is the host of a national morning talk show on American Family Radio and is a best selling author, comedian

and dedicated Christian family man. Jeff Jensen will emcee the event.

Tickets to the banquet are $45 each. Sponsorships are available at $10,000 for platinum, $5,000 for gold, $2,500 for silver, $1,000

for bronze and $500 for copper. All sponsorships of $500 and greater will be listed in the banquet pro-gram, in all advertisements, on Facebook and have tick-

(See BANQUET, page 2A)

(See WANN, page 2A)

(See SCHOOLS, page 3A)

See complete game results on Page 7A

ing you and hosting the OCA Fall Gathering at our ranch,” Wann said.

The OCA coordinates at least four fall gatherings yearly, each held in a dif-ferent region of Oklahoma. The gathering provides OCA members an opportu-nity to fellowship with area cattlemen in a casual atmo-sphere while gaining tips on how to protect their live-lihood and enhance pro-duction practices.

The OCA and the Wann

Ranch extend appreciation to Merck Animal Health and the Oklahoma Cattle-men’s Foundation for spon-soring the event, a press release said. The OCA rep-resents more than 5,500 Oklahoma ranching fami-lies and exists to support and defend the state and nation’s beef cattle indus-try.

To RSVP and find direc-tions to the Wann Ranch, visit http://www.okcattle-men.org/ocafallgatherings.aspx. For more information about OCA membership, the theft reward program or activities, call (405) 235-4391.

PAGE 2A . . . SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 Area POTEAU DAILY NEWS

BANQUET

People Read Little Ads. Call Classifieds — (918) 647-3188.

Community Bulletin Board

Panama Thanksgiving Dinner

Everyone is invited to a free Thanksgiving Day dinner will be served at The Refuge in Panama.

The meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is sponsored by Solid Rock Pentecostal Church of God.

Post Your EvEnt on thE CommunitY BullEtin Board Call (918) 647-3188 for ratEs

918-647-2701Precious Metal Permit # PM007720..

ets available. Table spon-sors [up to eight tickets] are $450.

Eli French is set to cater the event, and the Masons will plate food while the Pansy Kidd Middle School FCCLA group will serve. There also will be a silent auction, live auction and churches and organizations can donate a basket. The one with the highest bid will receive a plaque, according to event organizers.

Grace Cottage provides a Christian environment to pregnant young mothers 17 and younger. Mothers at the cottage participate in parenting and child birth

classes, as well as the Chil-dren’s First Nurse, Cottage Cash and Mentoring Moms program. They also receive prenatal care, counseling and group counseling and are required to pursue their high school diploma or GED, can work toward their Certified Nursing Assistant Certification and agree to attend church reg-ularly.

Purchase tickets online at www.grace-cottage.org by hitting the “donate” but-ton, or mail reservations to Grace Cottage, PO Box 5, Poteau, OK, 74953. Call (918) 649-3737 for more information.

Eddie Trejo was the first of three lucky winners chosen in Watson Motors’ canned food drive to benefit the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner in Poteau. Trejo won $100 after donating canned food items at Watson Motors. There still are two drawings to go, and if you want your chance at winning cash, all it takes is six or more canned food items such as green beans, corn, sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce. The next two cash drawings will be Monday and Nov. 23. Pictured from left: Eunice Eduvigen, Trejo, Ashby Watson and Pat Brown, all of Watson Motors. Submitted photo

Donate and Win

Holiday Market Prize

Randy Bridgman of Bridgman’s Furniture donates a child’s recliner to the Poteau Women’s League to be given away at the group’s Holiday Market next Saturday. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center. Admission is $2 with half going to the Chamber of Commerce flag replacement drive. The drawing will be at 4 p.m.; you need not be present to win. Accepting the donation are Nancy Shore, left, and Linda Lee.

Photo submitted

Hanna Crandell of Poteau is among the 21 contestants vying for the title of Miss University of Central Oklahoma.

The pageant begins at 6 tonight on the Edmond campus.

A junior, Crandell is majoring in vocal music education and speech-language pathology.

Miss UCO 2016 is an official preliminary for the Miss Oklahoma and Miss America pageants. Winners are eligible for cash scholarships and Central tuition waivers totaling $6,600.Hanna Crandell

Hannah Crandell in Miss UCO Pageant

WANN

POTEAU DAILY NEWS Area SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 . . . PAGE 3A

DEATH NOTICES

Compiled by Ken Milam newseditor.pdn@gmail.com

© 2009 Hometown Content

Sudoku Puzzle #3612-M

Medium

1 2 3 45 3 1 6

7 84 7 1 8 98 3

2 1 9 5 74 2

9 5 6 16 2 3 7

Today isInternational Girls Day

• TODAY — Eighth annual LeFlore County Veterans Parade, 10 a.m., Poteau.

— Veterans Day Pancake Breakfast, 7-10 a.m., LeFlore County Museum at Hotel Lowrey, at 303 Dewey Avenue.

— Free yard sale, 9 a.m., Southside Baptist Church gym, 505 Holsen Ave.

— Annual Big Cedar Fall Festival, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Big Cedar.

— Choctaw Nation Happy Heart Runestone 5k-10k Run, registration 8:30-9:30 a.m., race starts at 10 a.m. Heavener Runestone Park. Info and registration: Mandy Grammar, (918) 567-7000 ext. 6391 or email mggrammar@cnhsa .com.

— Cavanal Chorale con-cert, “Circle of Life,” 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church Methodist Church, Info: (918) 649-0453.

— All Church Conference, speakers Rabbi Kurt Landry, Dr. Dwain Miller, Dr. Randy Caldwell, 7 p.m., Poteau First Assembly, 2101 S. Broadway.

• NOV. 15 — Cavanal Chorale concert, “Circle of Life,” 2 p.m., First United Methodist Church Methodist Church, Info: (918) 649-0453.

— All Church Conference, speakers Rabbi Kurt Landry, Dr. Dwain Miller, Dr. Randy Caldwell, 10:27 a.m. and 6 p.m., Poteau First Assembly, 2101 S. Broadway.

— Bluegrass Gospel Singing with Olen Davis and the Travelers from Muskogee, 6 p.m, New Beginning Family Ministry, 305 S. Saddler. Everyone welcome.

• NOV. 16 — All Church Conference, speakers Rabbi Kurt Landry, Dr. Dwain Miller, Dr. Randy Caldwell, 7 p.m., Poteau First Assembly, 2101 S. Broadway.

• NOV. 17 — “Night Before Christmas” banquet and silent auction to benefit Grace Cottage Crisis Pregnancy Center, 5:30 p.m.

• NOV. 18 — Community Thanksgiving Dinner, 11:30 a.m., Choctaw Community Center behind Rubin White Clinic. Everyone wel-come. Info: (918) 647-9324.

• NOV. 19 — “Genealogy 101” genealogy class, 2-6 p.m., Patrick Lynch Public Library. Call genealogy department, (918) 647-4444 to reserve a seat, space lim-ited to eight.

— Blood drive, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Choctaw Casino, Pocola.

• NOV. 20 — Poteau Chamber of Commerce lunch, speaker Jessica Pfau of OK Center for Nonprofits, Info: (918) 647-9178.

• NOV. 21 — Poteau Women’s League Christmas Holiday Market, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.

Each puzzle is divided into nine sections, and each section has nine blank squares. Fill in all 81 squares on the puzzle with numbers 1 to 9. You may not repeat any numbers in any one of the nine sections that you've already used elsewhere in that section. Also, you can use each number 1-9 only once in each horizontal line of nine squares, and in each vertical column of nine squares. The puzzle is completed when you correctly fill every square © 2009 Hometown Content

Sudoku Solution #3612-D

7 8 4 1 5 2 6 3 91 3 6 9 4 7 2 5 85 2 9 6 3 8 7 1 46 1 2 8 7 5 9 4 38 9 3 4 6 1 5 7 24 7 5 3 2 9 8 6 1

2 4 7 5 9 3 1 8 63 5 1 2 8 6 4 9 79 6 8 7 1 4 3 2 5

Solution to Nov. 13 puzzle

City Hi Lo Cond.

Antlers 68 42 Sunny

Ardmore 66 42 Sunny

Bartlesville 68 35 Sunny

Broken Bow 67 38 Sunny

Claremore 69 39 Sunny

Cordell 64 37 Sunny

Duncan 63 38 Sunny

El Reno 63 36 Sunny

Elk City 62 37 Sunny

Enid 64 36 Sunny

Guymon 64 34 Sunny/Wind

Lawton 66 39 Sunny

McAlester 67 41 Sunny

Miami 69 38 Sunny

Muskogee 66 38 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Oklahoma City 65 41 Sunny

Okmulgee 67 39 Sunny

Pauls Valley 66 40 Sunny

Perry 66 38 Sunny

Sallisaw 64 38 Sunny

Sapulpa 66 40 Sunny

Shawnee 67 41 Sunny

Snyder 66 39 Sunny

Stillwater 66 37 Sunny

Tahlequah 66 38 Sunny

Tulsa 66 39 Sunny

Watonga 64 37 Sunny

Weatherford 63 38 Sunny

Wewoka 67 41 Sunny

Woodward 65 40 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Atlanta 60 37 P Cloudy

Boston 57 41 P Cloudy

Chicago 47 33 M Sunny

Dallas 68 48 M Sunny

Denver 57 28 Sunny

Houston 61 36 Sunny

Los Angeles 78 52 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Miami 87 74 M Cloudy

Minneapolis 43 34 Sunny

New York 57 43 P Cloudy

Phoenix 79 50 Sunny

San Francisco 65 50 Sunny

Seattle 58 48 Showers

Saint Louis 58 35 Sunny

First

Nov 19

Full

Nov 25

Last

Dec 3

New

Dec 11

The UV Index is measured on a 0 - 11 number scale, with a

higher UV Index showing the need for greater skin protection.

Local 5-Day Forecast

Sat11/14

Sun11/15

Mon11/16

Tue11/17

Wed11/18

Oklahoma at a Glance

Area Cities

National Cities

Moon Phases

UV Index

Sat

11/14

Sun

11/15

Mon

11/16

Tue

11/17

Wed

11/18

4 2 2 3 3

Moderate Low Low Moderate Moderate

©2015 AMG | Parade

68/46

Generally sunny

despite a few

afternoon

clouds. High

68F. Winds S at

5 to 10 mph.

60/46

Chance of

showers. Highs

in the low 60s

and lows in the

mid 40s.

64/58

Showers and t-

storms. Highs in

the mid 60s and

lows in the

upper 50s.

63/45

Scattered t-

storms.

Potential for

severe t-storms.

Highs in the low

60s and lows in

the mid 40s.

60/40

Partly cloudy.

Highs in the low

60s and lows in

the low 40s.

Sunrise: 6:51 AM

Sunset: 5:13 PM

Sunrise: 6:52 AM

Sunset: 5:13 PM

Sunrise: 6:53 AM

Sunset: 5:12 PM

Sunrise: 6:54 AM

Sunset: 5:11 PM

Sunrise: 6:55 AM

Sunset: 5:11 PM

•Enid

66/47

•Lawton

65/48

✪Oklahoma City

64/48

•Tulsa

68/48

0

11

Albert Allen Owen Sr.Albert Allen Owen Sr., 80, of Shady Point died

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 in Little Rock, Ark.Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov.

18, at Evans and Miller Funeral Home Chapel of Memories in Poteau. Burial will be in New Hope Cemetery, Spiro.

Bonita “Bonnie” Mae Guss ParhamBonita “Bonnie” Mae Guss Parham of Van Buren,

Ark., formerly of Poteau died Monday, Nov. 9, 2015.A celebration of Bonnie’s life will be held at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 21, at Evans and Miller Funeral Home in Poteau. Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery.

Donna PettitDonna Pettit, 67, of Panama died

Friday, Nov. 6, 2015, in Fort Smith, Ark.A memorial service will be held at 1

p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at First Assembly of God in Panama.

Ron SoutherlandRon Southerland, 69, of Pocola died Tuesday, Nov. 10,

2015.Family services will be held at a later date. Mallory-

Martin Funeral Home of Spiro is handling arrangements.

said. Parks said he is optimis-

tic a new system to accu-rately measure “all aspects of our educational system and provide usable informa-tion to our schools and the community” will be put in place under Hofmeister’s leadership.

Poteau Superintendent Dr. Don Sjoberg agreed the system has weaknesses, but said his school has chosen to use the results to celebrate successes and find areas of improvement.

“Our results continue to show that up to 25 percent of our students struggle aca-demically, and that remains a focus for us,” Sjoberg said. “But we have also seen improvements in many areas.”

Poteau Upper Elementa-ry sported a “C plus” for the 2014-15 report card, along-side the primary and middle school. Poteau High School was graded with a “B minus.”

“There was improve-ment in reading and math at the Upper Elementary, especially in the area of mathematics for all stu-dents,” Sjoberg said.” There was also a growth in the number of students at the high school who were pro-ficient in English and Alge-bra I. The growth at each of the sites makes me proud of the work that each staff member has done to pro-vide a quality education to all students.”

A majority of LeFlore County schools locked in a “B” or “C” grade in their reports.

Heavener High School held a “B minus” while the elementary school was a “D plus.” Spiro Elementary was a “D plus,” the middle school a “C plus” and the high school a “C.” Leflore

elementary and high school both had a “D plus,” Shady Point Public Schools a “D,” and Panama Elementary with a “D plus,” middle school with a “D” and high school with a “B plus.”

“I do think there are instruments that can effec-tively evaluate schools. Unfortunately, the instru-ment being used by the state department of education at this time is not one of them,” said Panama Superintendent Grant Ralls. “However, until the State Department of Education comes out with a better instrument, we don’t have a choice but to be evaluated by the one in effect at this time.”

Hofmeister said she has no confidence in the validity or reliability of the report cards in their current frame-work, according to a press release.

“While our grade did improve from a failing one to a passing one, we were more impressed with how much student growth we had and not our overall score,” said Shady Point Public School Superinten-dent Bruce Gillham. “For Shady Point, we see this grade as one of many mea-sures we use to gauge our progress and success. I am glad the Oklahoma State Department of Education appears to understand that and no longer places such a high emphasis on a single test given on a single day.”

Monroe Public Schools had a “C minus,” Hodgen a “D” and Fanshawe schools

a “D.” Whitesboro Public Schools was a “D minus” at their elementary and high school, while Bokoshe had a “C” at the elementary, “F” at the junior high and “C plus” for the high school.

Wister elementary held a “D plus” and “C plus” for their high school.

Talihina elementary was a “D,” junior high an “F” and high school a “D plus.”

“There is no fanfare in having to do this. We don’t put a lot of stock in the grades,” Hofmeister said in an Oct. 22 article by Andrea Eger of the Tulsa World. “We have to do this; it’s required. We are meeting our obligation and are look-ing forward to a time when we have a better system, but it will require a legislative change.”

Cameron elementary had a “D” grade and the high school a “D minus,” Pocola elementary a “B plus,” mid-dle school a “C” and high school a “B.” In Arkoma, Singleton Elementary School and the junior high school both had a “C” while the high school had a “B.” Wister Elementary School had a “D plus” and the high school a “C plus.”

Statewide, there were 212 “A” grades, 497 “B’s,” 536 “C’s,” 333 “D’s” and 183 “F’s.” In the 2014-15 report, there were 284 “A’s,” 470 “B’s”, 492 “C’s,” 292 “D’s “and 196 “F’s.”

“There is no fanfare in having to do this. Wew don’t put a lot of stock in the

grades.”

— Joy Hofmeister, State Superintendent of Education

SCHOOLS

City Hi Lo Cond.

Antlers 68 42 Sunny

Ardmore 66 42 Sunny

Bartlesville 68 35 Sunny

Broken Bow 67 38 Sunny

Claremore 69 39 Sunny

Cordell 64 37 Sunny

Duncan 63 38 Sunny

El Reno 63 36 Sunny

Elk City 62 37 Sunny

Enid 64 36 Sunny

Guymon 64 34 Sunny/Wind

Lawton 66 39 Sunny

McAlester 67 41 Sunny

Miami 69 38 Sunny

Muskogee 66 38 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Oklahoma City 65 41 Sunny

Okmulgee 67 39 Sunny

Pauls Valley 66 40 Sunny

Perry 66 38 Sunny

Sallisaw 64 38 Sunny

Sapulpa 66 40 Sunny

Shawnee 67 41 Sunny

Snyder 66 39 Sunny

Stillwater 66 37 Sunny

Tahlequah 66 38 Sunny

Tulsa 66 39 Sunny

Watonga 64 37 Sunny

Weatherford 63 38 Sunny

Wewoka 67 41 Sunny

Woodward 65 40 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Atlanta 60 37 P Cloudy

Boston 57 41 P Cloudy

Chicago 47 33 M Sunny

Dallas 68 48 M Sunny

Denver 57 28 Sunny

Houston 61 36 Sunny

Los Angeles 78 52 Sunny

City Hi Lo Cond.

Miami 87 74 M Cloudy

Minneapolis 43 34 Sunny

New York 57 43 P Cloudy

Phoenix 79 50 Sunny

San Francisco 65 50 Sunny

Seattle 58 48 Showers

Saint Louis 58 35 Sunny

First

Nov 19

Full

Nov 25

Last

Dec 3

New

Dec 11

The UV Index is measured on a 0 - 11 number scale, with a

higher UV Index showing the need for greater skin protection.

Local 5-Day Forecast

Sat11/14

Sun11/15

Mon11/16

Tue11/17

Wed11/18

Oklahoma at a Glance

Area Cities

National Cities

Moon Phases

UV Index

Sat

11/14

Sun

11/15

Mon

11/16

Tue

11/17

Wed

11/18

4 2 2 3 3

Moderate Low Low Moderate Moderate

©2015 AMG | Parade

68/46

Generally sunny

despite a few

afternoon

clouds. High

68F. Winds S at

5 to 10 mph.

60/46

Chance of

showers. Highs

in the low 60s

and lows in the

mid 40s.

64/58

Showers and t-

storms. Highs in

the mid 60s and

lows in the

upper 50s.

63/45

Scattered t-

storms.

Potential for

severe t-storms.

Highs in the low

60s and lows in

the mid 40s.

60/40

Partly cloudy.

Highs in the low

60s and lows in

the low 40s.

Sunrise: 6:51 AM

Sunset: 5:13 PM

Sunrise: 6:52 AM

Sunset: 5:13 PM

Sunrise: 6:53 AM

Sunset: 5:12 PM

Sunrise: 6:54 AM

Sunset: 5:11 PM

Sunrise: 6:55 AM

Sunset: 5:11 PM

•Enid

66/47

•Lawton

65/48

✪Oklahoma City

64/48

•Tulsa

68/48

0

11

PAGE 4A . . . SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 Opinions POTEAU DAILY NEWS

Save the worldI do not think anyone would argue for the destruction

of Earth, most destructive practices are done out of igno-rance or laziness. The good news is that we have started making steps in the right direction, and many countries have signed policy agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions that include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), black carbon in gas, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), tetrafluoroethane (CH2FCF3), carbon monoxide (CO), butane (CH3CH2CH2CH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O).

The leaders we elect for our local positions, state posi-tions, country positions and international positions all need an awareness of the state of Earth. We are all respon-sible for the health of Earth to be sure, but these elected officials bear a weight to make and pass policies that will save our home and therefore our lives and our descen-dants’ lives. If they do not pass any laws that regulate the greenhouse gases or basic sustainable living, they will condemn countless people to their deaths.

This situation is not unique to the United States — all around the world the populous is responsible for putting educated people into office that will compromise and think about the big picture. People everywhere become too engrossed with money and the money of supporters that they forget about acting responsibly about Earth.

I feel many times we get caught up the concept and fiction of money, or we simply become lazy. If we can step back for a moment and recognize the meaning of this Native American quote. “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.”

In the Disney movie “Pocahontas” there is a song named “The Colors of the Wind” in which Pocahontas sings, “Come roll in all the riches all around you and for once, never wonder what they’re worth.” Take the time out of your day to notice how beautiful our home is with-out regard to money.

Sen. Bernie Sanders said, “As human beings and adults we need to understand that it is our responsibility, our moral responsibility, to leave this planet in a way that is habitable and healthy for our children and our grandchil-dren.” Of course, we will never agree with everything a politician, or a person in general, believes. I do com-pletely agree with Bernie on this statement. I want to do everything within my power to leave this world the best I can for my descendants.

My mother shared an article from Reader’s Digest the other day called “Look Who Showed Up.” I encourage you to go look it up on the Internet. In “Look Who Showed Up,” by the editor, it speaks to how humans show up to a challenge. “If you give people something to do a mission they will show up.” When it comes to the health of our planet, let us take the right actions before it is too late.

Kendrick Hardaway is a 2014 graduate of Poteau High School. He currently attends the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. Email him at hardaway.kendrick@gmail.com.

This Veterans Day I want to say “thank you” to all of our men and women who served. I also would like to thank the families of our veterans.

My grandmother moved in with her parents in Drumright while my grandfather was fighting in the South Pacific dur-ing World War II. Like thousands of other fami-lies, they had to make huge sacrifices while loved ones were sent off to war.

So often we overlook the hardships our active-duty military families go through while their loved ones are serving overseas. Recently I read a report that stated more than

5,000 welfare applicants listed active-duty military as their job. I think this is a travesty in our nation. All too often young men and women volunteer to serve in our military and keep us all safe, yet their families can just barely survive while they are away. Over the past cou-ple of years more than $5 million has been cut from the State Department of Veterans Affairs, not to mention the cuts in health-care needed to help young mothers and their chil-dren. Our soldiers shouldn’t have to worry about whether their wife and kids have a roof over their heads while they are off fighting in a foreign

land. A couple years ago on

Christmas Eve I received a call about a young man who was driving home from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. He was stopped and arrest-ed because his car tag was expired. He had just returned home from the war in the Middle East. He didn’t have the money to pay all the late fees that had accumulated on his car tag while he was gone. Needless to say, he didn’t stay in jail for long, on

Christmas Eve — not for something as stupid as that. I filed legislation to reduce the late fees on car tags because they make life harder for so many people, particularly a vet-eran on Christmas Eve. That still makes my blood boil today.

Whether it’s young vet-erans and their families that need help with educa-tion, jobs or just getting by or older veterans who need better access to healthcare, I’m proud to say I’ve fought for them all. I have fought against cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. I have also fought for the things that would help our veter-ans when they return home: things like cheaper college tuition, cheaper car tags, better-paying jobs and access to health-care.

This Veterans Day I want to remember our vet-erans and their families. As citizens of a free nation, we should never forget the obligations we owe our veterans.

State Representative James Lockhart is a Democrat from Heavener.

Military veterans deserve better from us

Guest ColumnJames Lockhart

“Just existing became what was important.”

So said Frank Kravetz, World War II veteran and former captive of Nuremberg Prison Camp, or what Frank called the Nazi “hell-hole.”

“Yet even as I struggled with the day-to-day sad-ness and despair,” said Frank, “I never once had any regrets that I signed up to serve.”

An extended tour of Nazi camps as a wounded POW scratching for sur-vival wasn’t what Frank had in mind when he signed up to serve his country in World War II. The kid from the smoky steel-mills of East Pittsburgh enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He became a tail-gunner.

Frank’s life took a dra-matic turn on November 2, 1944 in a bomb-run over Germany. He crammed into the tail of a B-17, wedged inside a flak jack-et. The target was Merseberg, a major indus-trial area. He flew amid an air armada of 500 heavy bombers — each carrying eighteen 250-pound “gen-eral purpose” bombs — escorted by 900 fighter planes.

While the Americans were ready for business, so was the Luftwaffe. Frank’s plane came under hot pur-suit by German fighters. Frank took them on with a twin .50 caliber machine gun. It was a dogfight, and Frank was badly wounded. His B-17 was filled with holes. The crew had to bail, quickly.

Frank was bleeding pro-fusely and could barely move. His buddies tried to

get a parachute on him, but it opened inside the plane. They wrapped it around him, taking care not to cross the chords, and tossed him out. To Frank’s great relief, the chute opened. Instantly, the deafening chaos quieted, and Frank said he floated like he was on the wings of angels.

The tranquility halted with a rude thump as Frank hit the ground. German soldiers immediately seized him.

Thus began “Hell’s Journey,” as Frank dubbed it. Destination: Stalag 13-D.

Liberation finally came April 29, 1945, by General Patton’s Third Army. Frank described the jubilant scene: “After the flag was raised, General Patton rolled in, sitting high in a command car. His very presence was awe-inspir-ing. I stood there staring at General Patton, our libera-tor, appearing larger than life.”

Thousands of emaciat-ed, ecstatic POWs chanted, “Patton! Patton! Patton!” Some fell to their knees, overcome with emotion. Patton seized a bullhorn and spoke: “Gentlemen — you’re now liberated and under Allied control…. We’re going to get you out of here.”

It finally hit Frank and his remaining 125 pounds: “I’m going home. I’m real-ly going home!”

Frank eventually arrived in New York City and hitchhiked all the way to Pittsburgh. He unceremo-niously arrived at his folks’ front door — no trumpets, no dramatic music, no

parade. He hugged his mom and dad and sat down. He found and married his sweetheart, Anne.

How did Frank survive this Nazi “hell-hole?”

“All I can say is that the good Lord was watching out for me,” wrote Frank in a riveting memoir, “Eleven Two: One WWII Airman’s Story of Capture, Survival and Freedom.” There, Frank provided the secret to his survival and success: “Pray. It helps.”

It’s a message that Frank shared with young people every chance he had: “I prayed throughout my ordeal, asking him for help.” He shared it with me, my sons and a class-room of my students four years ago.

As Frank prayed, he promised God that he would never complain about anything again if he survived. That’s a promise he kept. Our blessings are so bountiful that we need to be grateful, especially compared to the depriva-tions others have faced — like a Nazi prison camp. We need to be always grateful, said Frank, and always faithful.

That was Frank Kravetz, winner of the Purple Heart.

I’ve told Frank’s story before. I tell it again now for two reasons: First, Veterans Day fell again this November (as does Thanksgiving), a time to

remember men like Frank. And second, sadly, this was a Veterans Day without Frank Kravetz.

Frank died in August, at age 91. He joined his beloved wife Anne, who died just four months prior. They were married for 68 years.

A mutual friend attended Frank’s funeral and the luncheon that followed at the local VFW in East Pittsburgh, of which Frank was a founder. He told me that of the 100 original founding members, only two remain.

Yes, only two.This Veterans Day, let’s

take a few minutes from our insanely busy lives and from this insane culture and country — one that those vets would not rec-ognize — to remember men like Frank Kravetz who served with no regrets. The freedoms we have today, many of which we merrily abuse today, are possible only because of the abuse they suffered at the hands of hellacious enemies 70 years ago.

Dr. Paul Kengor is pro-fessor of political science and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College.

Surviving Hitler’s ‘hell-hole’ — remembering Frank Kravetz

Guest ColumnPaul Kengor

A Hilltop PerspectiveKendrick Hardaway

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IRVING, Texas (AP) — Tony Romo, scout team quarterback.

That’s the best the Dallas star could do the past two weeks in his return from a broken left collarbone, so he was still watching while the Cowboys’ losing streak grew to six games without him, the team’s longest in the same season in 26 years.

Naturally, there’s a bit of anticipation for his likely start next week at Miami, even if that means peeking past Sunday’s visit to Tam-pa Bay (3-5). But there are limits to that eagerness for the Cowboys (2-6).

“You can’t sit and wait on Romo,” defensive line-

man Jeremy Mincey said. “He’s not Jesus, you know? You can’t sit and wait on him because there’s some games we could’ve eas-ily won without him being there. So it’s our fault.”

Matt Cassel and Bran-don Weeden are both 0-3 trying to replace Romo, and Cassel will get likely the last chance to break that drought in what could be his final start for Dallas after coming over in a trade

with Buffalo following the injury to Romo in a Week 2 win at Philadelphia.

Cassel has filled in for a franchise quarterback be-fore, but not as something of a lame-duck starter. The job was his for the final 15 games in New England in 2008, when the Patriots finished 11-5 and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker after Tom Brady went down with a season-ending knee injury in the opener.

By David SeeleyPDN Sports Editor

It was a terrific Thursday night of hoops for the Leflo-re High School basketball teams on Nadine Carpenter Court as they both easily handled the visitors from McCurtain.

The Lady Savages opened the night with a 57-23 victory over the Lady Bulldogs, while the Savag-es ended the doubleheader with a 61-30 win over the ’Dogs.

GirlsLeflore 57, McCurtain 23

The Lady Savages (3-0) jumped out to a 17-8 lead after a period en route to a 38-13 lead at halftime.

The Lady Bulldogs tried to make a run to begin the second half as back-to-back baskets by Kenzie Cooper cut the McCurtain deficit to 38-17 with 6:06 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Lady Bull-dogs got.

The Lady Savages ended the period with a 13-5 run, capped by a free throw by Emily Sinclair with 2:29 left in the quarter, to give Leflore a 51-22 lead go-ing into the final period — which saw a running clock to expedite the game’s end.

Kaylee Roath led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, followed by Masey Brannon with 11 points, Shaelyn Green with 10 points, Ayme Warren with six points, Summer Barnett with two points and Sinclair and Camri Duncan with a free throw apiece.

BoysLeflore 61, McCurtain 30

The Savages (3-0) opened the game with a 9-0 run, capped by Daniel Ro-driguez’s basket with 2:53 left in the opening quarter.

McCurtain’s Levi Dill got the Bulldogs back into the game with a basket and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to cut the Leflore lead to 9-5 with 2:14 left in the period.

The Savages ended the period with a 5-0 run, capped by Dawson War-ren’s three-quarter court 3-pointer that hit nothing

but net as the buzzer sound-ed to give Leflore a 14-5 lead after a period.

The Savages opened the second quarter much like the first as they scored the period’s first six points as Aaron Lloyd’s basket put Leflore ahead 20-5 with 5:52 left before halftime. The hosts took a 32-13 lead into the locker room at half-time.

Thanks to an 8-0 run late in the third quarter, Leflore upped its advantage to 47-20 with 55 seconds left in the period on a basket by Jaden Wolfe. The Savages took a 47-22 lead into the final quarter.

Any hopes of a McCur-tain comeback were dashed as the Savages opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run to take a 55-22 lead with 3:49 left to play on an-other hoop by Wolfe.

Leflore put a trio of players into double figures, led by Mason Warren’s 13 points and 10 points each from Rodriguez — who had eight blocked shots —

and Wolfe. Lloyd scored nine points, followed by Cody Crase with eight points, Blake Crase with four points, Dawson War-ren with three points and Hagen Earles and Stetson Adams with two points apiece.

POTEAU DAILY NEWS Sports SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 . . . PAGE 5A

Collin College slips past CASC menBy Mark Couch

CASC Correspondent

Getting 20 points from Romon-tae Marrs and 15 points from Spiro’s Knifeis Carter wasn’t enough for the Carl Albert State College Vikings in their 74-71 loss to Collin College, Texas, on Thursday night at Southeast-ern Oklahoma State University’s Bloomer Sullivan Arena.

Two Matej Jurcevic free throws

gave the Vikings (1-5) an early 5-0 lead with 18:48 remaining in the first half.

Collin College responded with a 14-4 run to take a 14-9 lead with 12:58 left in the first half.

Both teams battled back and forth over the next several min-utes. Marrs hit a 3-point basket to cut the Collin lead to 28-25 with 5:22 remaining in the first half.

Shaun Grant’s 3-pointer gave the Vikings a 31-30 lead with 4:33

left in the first half.Collin ended the first half on a

12-1 run to take a 42-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Carter’s trey cut the Vikings’ deficit to 53-48 with 13:01 re-maining in the second half.

Dedric Cherry’s 3-point hoop capped a 13-7 run by the Vikings, which gave them a 61-60 lead with 8:07 left in the second half.

Two free throws by Collin gave it a 71-67 lead with 3:13 remain-

ing in the second half.Grant’s basket cut the Collin

lead to 73-71 with 1:31 left in the second half.

Collin connected on a free throw to give them a 74-71 lead.

Both teams exchanged pos-sessions, and the Vikings put up a long 3-pointer right before the buzzer which was no good.

Marrs led the Vikings with 20 points and Carter had 15 points. Grant scored nine points, fol-

lowed by Justin Bogle with eight points, Chris Bates with seven points, Cherry with six points and Jurcevic, Adoum Mbang and Ja-mal Henderson with two points apiece.

The Vikings will play their Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference opener at 7:30 p.m. next Thursday against archrival Eastern Oklahoma State Col-lege at EOSC’s Claud C. Dunlap Fieldhouse in Wilburton.

AYME-ING TO SHOOT — Leflore’s Ayme Warren, center, looks to take a shot while being defended by McCurtain’s Ashlie Lovell, left, and Rachel Myers during Thursday night’s game on Nadine Carpenter Court.

PDN photo by David Seeley

Leflore teams sweep McCurtain

JUST TRY TO STOP ME! — Leflore’s Daniel Rodriguez, front, looks to go up for a basket in front of a McCurtain defender during Thursday night’s game on Nadine Carpenter Court.

PDN photo by David Seeley

The City of Heavener, OK is accepting applications for

Public Works DirectorQualifi ed applicants must be 21 years or older, successfully

complete Pre-employment drug screening, medical examination and background checks. Successful applicants must possess a Water and Wastewater Certifi cation for Oklahoma. Must have

budgeting and management experience for a City population of 3,400 with a combined utility budget of $2,000,000.00 with

15 full time employees. The Heavener Utilities Authority operates Water and Wastewater and Solid Waste Utilities.

This is an exempt leadership position, Department head that ensures all planning, training and execution of Utility, Public Works,

and Street, Alley and Drainage functions within the City of Heavener and for Heavener Utility Authority. Employee also

serves in a collateral duty form as the Cities Building Inspector The City seeks a leader with outstanding communication skills, and

municipal fi nance experience to optimize opportunities for continued growth. Pay depends on experience with excellent

benefi ts packageApplications will be accepted until the position is fi lled however,

interviews will be scheduled starting November 23, 2015.For applications, contact the City Clerk at 918-653-2217 or

heavenercity@windstream.net to arrange for mailing of FAX of a blank application before November 17, 2015.

North Arkansas downs CASC Lady Vikings

By Mark CouchCASC Correspondent

Getting 19 points from Arkoma’s Rosa Orpo and 15 points from Buffalo Valley’s Bailey Scarberry weren’t enough for the Carl Albert State College Lady Vikings in their 67-63 loss to North Arkansas in the Crowder Classic on Friday in Neosho, Mo.

North Ark led 31-26 at halftime.

The Lady Vikings (2-3) outscored North Ark 37-36 in the second half. However, it wasn’t enough as North Ark hung on for the four-point win.

Orpo led the Lady Vikings with 19 points, followed by Scarberry with 15 points and Anna

Rogers with 10 points. Natalia Ready scored six points, followed by Da-jha Hardamon and Sanni Salonen with four points each, Chasity Moore with three points and Natori Hurd with two points.

The Lady Vikings will play their final game in the two-day event at 3 this afternoon against host Crowder College.

Westbrook’s triple-double leads Thunder past 76ers

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook had his second straight triple-double and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-85 on Fri-day night.

Westbrook stepped up while top scorer Kevin Durant sat out with a strained left hamstring. Westbrook finished with 21 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and 11 assists for the 21st triple-double of his ca-reer. It was his third in his past four games against Philadelphia.

Dion Waiters scored 14 points and Enes Kanter had 13 for the Thunder, who won their third straight.

Christian Wood scored 15 points and Nerlens Noel had 13 points and 11 re-bounds for the 76ers, who lost their 19th

in a row.Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor, who had

led all rookies with 20.6 points per game, finished with six on 3-for-18 shooting.

A fast break slam by Andre Roberson put the Thunder ahead 53-47 early in the third quarter. The 76ers rallied, and Hol-lis Thompson’s corner 3-pointer cut Okla-homa City’s lead to 62-61.

Westbrook’s steal and slam with just under two minutes left in the third pushed Oklahoma City ahead 66-61 and bumped his point total into double figures. He got the triple-double early in the fourth quarter on an assist to Waiters for a 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 79-65 lead. It was just the second time this season the Thunder held an opponent under 100 points.

Romo’s return near as Cowboys try to end skid without him

There are four weeks left in most fanstay football leagues' seasons. If you’re guaranteed a playoff spot, I'd strongly consider check-ing out the playoff schedule [Weeks 14-16 of the Na-tional Football League reg-ular season] and evaluating waiver wire pick-ups and/or trades to take advantage of the best defense vs. offense match-ups. However, if you need to take advantage of the statistics over these next four weeks to ensure your playoff life, then let’s look at players from the fol-lowing teams:

Jacksonville Jaguars — Next four games: Ra-vens, Titans, Chargers, Ti-tans. The Jaguars have been accruing points and yards throughout the year with-out much success to show for it. Never forget some of the best fantasy offens-es come from bad teams. Over the next four weeks, Jacksonville gets three cer-tifiably bad defenses with offenses good enough to score points on the Jags' defense, likely resulting in more shoot outs.

Target: Quarterback Blake Bortles, wide re-ceivers Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson and Bryan Wal-ters and tight end Julius Thomas.

New England Patriots — Giants, Bills, Broncos, Eagles. This recommen-dation isn’t based off how bad the Giants or Eagles are against the run. How-ever, if you can get a piece of the Patriots' offense, do what you can to acquire it. Chances are you won’t be able to trade for quarterback Tom Brady, but you might

be able to swing a trade for a piece of this offense that ultimately has weekly upside to win your games — especially now that one of those cogs, Dion Lewis, has been removed with an ACL tear. Every week, Ve-gas expects New England to score at least 27 points, and we should all want ex-posure to a high-flying of-fense as Brady gives a giant middle finger to the league and every team he plays.

Target: Running backs Lagarette Blount and James White, wide receivers Bran-don Lafell, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Oakland Raiders — Vi-kings, Lions, Titans, Chiefs. Unless you’re a fan of a team from the AFC West, you probably wouldn’t know just how fun a team the Raiders are — offen-sively, at least. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has transformed this of-fense, and the Raiders have embraced their ability to air it out in light of a defense that couldn’t stop a cold. Over the next four weeks, the Raiders will face of-fenses that can punish you with one distinct aspect of their offense putting the Raiders in plenty of catch-up opportunities. Because the Raiders' playmakers are fairly well unknown, my

assumption is you can pull off a trade without giving up too much capital.

Target: Quarterback Derek Carr, wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and tight end Clive Walford.

Tennessee Titans — Panthers, Jaguars, Raid-ers, Jaguars. When Ken Whisenhunt was fired as coach of the Titans, I ques-tioned how this would af-fect the Titans offense. New coach Mike Mularkey has improved it dramatical-ly. For one thing, the Titans abandoned the running-back-by-committee they had been using since last season, and they focused on Marcus Mariota’s strength of intermediate passes to his tight ends while taking a few chances with their speedster wide receivers on go-routes. Grab a Titan be-fore the rest of your league realizes they’ve changed their ways.

Target: Quarterback Marcus Mariota, running back Antonio Andrews and tight ends Delanie Walker and Anthony Fasano.

• • •"The Triple Option"

each week is presented by Fantasy Hub, Daily Fanta-sy Sports for Charity." Any questions or comments, make contact with Phill Bennetzen on Facebook.

By Alden GonzalezMLB.com

Four seasons in the Ma-jor Leagues, four Silver Slugger Awards for Los Angeles Angels of Ana-heim center fielder Mike Trout.

Trout, who is the neph-ew of retired City of Poteau Water Department employ-ee Charles Busonick and his wife, Sandra, picked up his latest on Thursday, on the strength of a 2015 season that saw him mash a career-high 41 home runs while sporting an American League-best .991 on-base

plus slugging percentage.Trout joins Mike Piazza

as the only players to win the Louisville Silver Slug-ger Award — presented to the top offensive player at each position in each league since 1980 — in each of their first four full seasons in the big leagues. Trout, who turned 24 on Aug. 7, is the youngest player to win the award four times.

Trout had a .299 bat-ting average, .402 on-base percentage, .590 slugging percentage, 90 runs batted in, 32 doubles, six triples, 92 walks, 104 runs scored and an AL-leading 9.0

FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement. He finished in the top 10 in the AL in slugging (first), on-base percentage (second), runs (third), walks (third), home runs (tied for third) and bat-ting average (ninth).

Trout won the AL Most Valuable Player Award unanimously in 2014 and is a finalist for the award this off-season. He became the first player to be named MVP of the All-Star Game in back-to-back years this past July and joined Mick-ey Mantle, Al Kaline and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only AL outfielders with four All-Star Game selections before the age of 24.

PAGE 6A . . . SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 Sports POTEAU DAILY NEWS

How well do you know your football?The Poteau Daily News will be holding a Pigskin Picks contest

throughout football season. Readers can submit ballots with their picks for the week. All weekly winners will be put in a drawing for a grand prize after Super Bowl L in February. In the event of a tie, the closest pick on the score of the Poteau game will be the tie breaker.

Winners will be announced in an edition the next week during the contest period. Today’s ballot must be returned to the Poteau Daily News office by 5 p.m. Friday to be eligible for this week’s contest.

Name _____________________________________

Address ___________________________________

Phone_____________________________________

E-mail_____________________________________

(Circle the team you pick to win)Harrah at PoteauKiefer at TalihinaPioneer at KeotaTCU at OUBaylor at OSUMississippi State at ArkansasNavy at TulsaLSU at MississippiMichigan State at Ohio StateMichigan at Penn StateNorth Carolina at Virginia TechDallas at Miami

TIEBREAKER – Final Score:Harrah _________ at Poteau _________

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The Triple Option

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Bennetzen

Poteau Freshmen Basketball Tournament Brackets

Angels outfielder wins fourth straight Silver Slugger Award

Week 10 NFL Playbook

THE OLD AND THE YOUNG — The 14th annual World's Highest Hill 5-Miler was last Saturday. The oldest fin-isher, left, was Oakie DeMoss, who is age 87. The youngest finisher was Trek Snyder, age 6. There were 170 people who crossed the finish line. Josh Snyder, Trek's father, was the first overall male winner of the event, while Jenny Chitwood was the first overall female win-ner. The event was put on by Poteau High School cross country coach Tommy Brennan.

Photo by Tommy Brennan

The Team Hutchens Coed Softball Tournament will be all day today at the Spiro Little League Fields. The entry fee is $150 per team or $15 per player for the double-elimination event.

All teams must have at least three fe-males. Teams may purchase up to five home runs for $10 or unlimited homers for $15. All proceeds will go toward Po-cola teacher Robbie Hutchens with medi-cal expenses and cancer treatments. For additional information, call Tanner Fran-cis at (479) 462-3119.

• • •The Little Rock [Ark.] Marathon will

be March 5-6. Registration will be avail-able online at www.littlerockmarathon.com through 8 a.m. Feb. 26.

The Little Rock Marathon offers a

training program to individuals partici-pating. For additional information about deadline, details and the race, visit www.littlerockmarathon.com or contact the Little Rock Marathon office at (501) 371-4639.

• • •The Heavener Tip-In Club Basketball

Tournament will take place today and Sunday at the high school gym.

The entry fee is $125 per team with a three-game guarantee. The tournament will have three age divisions in each boys and girls — grades 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8.

All proceeds will benefit the Heavener Tip-In Club. To enter a team or for addi-tional information, call Jennifer Yandell at (918) 658-5662 or Michael Culwell at (918) 413-2002.

Sports Briefs

TALIHINA — The Tali-hina Golden Tigers con-tinue clawing their way to victories, now eight straight.

The Golden Tigers rout-ed the Afton Eagles 60-14 in their Class A playoff opener Friday night at Doc Robinson Stadium.

Talihina will entertain the Kiefer Trojans at 7:30 p.m. next Friday in a sec-ond-round playoff game. The Trojans routed Okla-homa Christian Academy 49-15 in their playoff opener Friday night.

The Golden Tigers (9-1), ranked ninth in Class A, got on the scoreboard first on a 40-yard pass from Sooner Box to Cord Fitzgerald. Eric Smith ran in the two-point conver-sion for an 8-0 lead.

The Eagles (5-6) coun-tered in the second quarter with a 40-yard touchdown run by Garrett Gaines. A two-point conversion run by Gunner Hudson evened the score at 8 with 4:18 left before halftime.

Carter Cochran regained the lead for Talihina on a 4-yard run with 2:05 remaining in the firs half. Box ran in the two-point

conversion for a 16-8 lead.

With 31 seconds left before halftime, Smith hit paydirt once more on a 2-yard TD run. Box hit Kelley Himes on the two-point conversion pass to up Talihina’s lead to 24-8 at halftime.

Box scored on a 5-yard run to begin the second-half scoring, and he scored the two-point conversion for a 32-8 lead with 10:05 left in the period.

Fitzgerald caught a 47-yard pass from Box with 8:57 left in the quar-ter to make it 40-8 after Cochran scored the two-point conversion.

Dylan Blair scored on a 15-yard TD pass from Box. Heath Humphreys scored the two-point conversion to up Talihina’s lead to 48-8 with 5:57 remaining in the period.

Fitzgerald caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Box with 1:12 left in

the period to make it 54-8 after three periods.

Humphreys scored the first points of the final period on a 58-yard TD run to make it 60-8 with 5:27 left to play.

The final score of the night came with 1:52 remaining in the game by the Eagles.

Editor’s note: Talihina Correspondent Calvin McClain contributed to this story.

By Jim MarshSports Correspondent

The 2015 version of the Poteau Pirates have set just about every record their was tonight. Austin Archey is now leading in tackles, and Austin “Speedy” Skelton is leading in the total yards for receptions.

However, in the postgame huddle, new coach Forrest Mazey remindend the Pirates that they need to come into film review this morning with their minds set on the Harrah Panthers and adjust their goals to being 1-0 next week.

Poteau took a close game and opened it up in the second half to advanced to the Class 4A state quarterfinals against the Harrah Panthers. The final score was 47-19 with the Pirates on the high side.

The Panthers picked up a road win in their playoff opener Friday night, beating the Cache Bulldogs 26-24. Harrah will visit Costner Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff next Friday.

The Pirates (11-0), ranked second in Class 4A, got the ball to begin the first half, and their offense was flawless as they converted on four of the first five possessions. The only miss was a 38-yard field goal by Jesse Barnes that was just wide left.

Poteau went to the whip early

as Roger Barcheers carried the ball four times with the touchdown coming on a 21-yard excursion. The conversion was no good to keep Poteau ahead 6-0.

Poteau held McLain and forced the punt.

Poteau got to the Titans’ 8 and stalled. Barnes toed a 25-yard field goal for a 9-0 lead.

McLain quarterback Joshua Jacobs finally scored on a 79-yard TD. The extra point cut the Poteau lead to 9-7.

Poteau struck gold again on a 16--yard TD pass from Ben Klutts to Elijah Price. Austin “Speedy” Skelton scored the two-point conversion to make it 17-7.

Poteau had two interceptionss in the first half as Barnes and Daylan Duncan picked of Jacobs.

Poteau final score came on a 23-yard TD pass from Klutts to Skelton. Barnes was good on the PAT to make it 24-7.

McLain drove the field and missed a 25-yard field goal with seven seconds left before halftime to keep Poteau ahead 24-7 at the break.

The Titans (6-5) opened the second half with the ball, and the Pirates’ defense shut them down and forced a punt. The Titans center airmailed the ball on the snap. When the dust settled, Bradley Goins was laying on the

ball in the end zone for a Poteau TD. Barnes toed the conversion to make it 31-7.

McLain topped that with a 2-yard run by Jacobs to cut the deficit to 31-13.

Poteau kept the petal to the metal as Klutts stroked a 29-yard pass to Brynn Hammon. Barnes drilled the extra point to make it 38-13.

Barnes drilled a deep kickoff, and the Titans were forced to begin their drive on their own 15-yard line.

The Titans had trouble with the snap again, and they were forced to retreat deep into the end zone. There Dylan Fifiled pulled the Titan down for the safety for a 40-13 lead

Poteau and its offense just kept

on purring. Barcheers scored on a 37-yard scamper. Barnes was true to make it 47-13.

Jacobs scored one last time for the Titans and the PAT was blocked.

At that point the Pirates began to make liberal substitution on the offensive side of the ball, but the Pirates kept the defense in the game until the end.

POTEAU DAILY NEWS Sports SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 . . . PAGE 7A

Poteau gets Titan-ic victory

SPEEDY SCORES — Poteau wide receiver Austin “Speedy” Skelton, right, catches a two-point conversion pass from quarterback Ben Klutts during Friday night’s Class 4A playoff opener against Tulsa McLain at Costner Stadium. Photo by John Sullivan

Talihina flies past Afton Eagles

CARTER’S PILL — Talihina running back Carter Cochran, left, tries to get around the right side during the Golden Tigers’ Class A playoff opening-round game against the Afton Eagles. PDN photo by David Seeley

Keota Lions roar past Woodland

KEOTA — The duo of Jace Welch and Trevor Bryant led Class B’s third-ranked Keota Lions into next week’s state quarterfinals with a 54-8 rout of the Woodland Cougars.

The Lions (10-0) will entertain the Pioneer Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. next Friday in the state quarterfinals. The Mus-tangs routed the Waurika Eagles 48-3 Friday night at Mustang Field at Pio-neer High School in southeast Garfield Coun-ty near Enid.

After Woodland received the kickoff and chewed up about eight minutes of the first quar-ter, Welch took the ball from the Woodland ball carrier and raced 60 yards for the score. Bryant’s conversion run made it 8-0.

The next three Keota possessions all ended with touchdowns to push the Lions’ advantage to 28-0. The scores were a 59-yard Knute Dumas pass reception from Welch, a Garren Drum-monds 61-yard run and Welch’s 43-yard run.

There was a Landon Scoggins two-point con-version pass reception from Welch in there as well.

The Cougars (6-5) got their only touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone to make it 28-8.

The Lions responded as Welch made Lions fans think they were witness-ing the legendary Minne-sota Vikings Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarken-ton. Welch, who took the snap from the Woodland 22, scrambled all the way back to the Cougars’ 35 as he eluded would-be tacklers until he found Bryant in the end zone for a 22-yard TD pass and a 36-8 lead.

Just before halftime, Bryant caught another touchdown pass from Welch for a 42-8 halftime lead.

The Keota duo put the game to an end by the mercy rule in the early stages of the third quar-ter.

Bryant scored on a 6-yard run, while Welch’s 5-yard TD run ended the game at that point with 9:49 left in the period.No. 7 Stroud claws Razorbacks

By John WhiteakerPanama Correspondent

Last season, the Panama Razorbacks went on the road to begin the Class 2A playoffs and stunned the Chandler Lions. Class 2A’s seventh-ranked Stroud Tigers made sure that wasn’t going to happen as they ended the Hogs’ season with a 42-13 victory Friday night in the opening round of the playoffs.

It was pretty much Stroud’s show in the first half.

The Tigers (10-1) struck first on a 7-yard touchdown run followed by the extra point to take a 7-0 lead with 7:57 left in the first quarter.

Panama’s offense stalled at the 35-yard line and was forced to punt.

With six minutes left in the quarter, Stroud took it in on a 53-yard pass followed by a PAT to make it 14-0.

Stroud recovered on onside kick. Starting with short field from the Panama 38, the Tigers, ranked seventh in Class 2A, upped their lead to 21-0 with a drive capped by a 6-yard run and PAT.

Panama quarterback Andy Burris was intercepted with 10 seconds left in the opening quarter to thwart another drive for the Razorbacks (8-3).

Stroud scored on a 9-yard quarterback keeper with a good extra point to make it 28-0.

Panama’s next possession ended with a punt.

Stroud took over at the Panama 29 and scored on a 19-yard run. The PAT took the score to 35-0.

Panama was intercepted again on its next possession.

With seven minutes to go in the half, Stroud made it 42-0 as a halftime

lead on a 3-yard run and the extra point.

The Hogs scored with 9:23 left to play on a 21-yard TD run by Burris. Logan Coker kicked the extra point to cut the deficit to 42-7.

After stopping the Tigers on downs on the ensuing possession, the Razorbacks got the ball back at Stroud’s 35.

The Hogs almost struck for a TD as Burris hit Donald Lotchleas on a swing pass as the senior running back took it all the way down to just outside the goal line.

After losing two yards on the next play, Burris took it in from two yards out on the final play of the game.

In defeat, Burris ended his Panama career with 1,013 yards rushing, and the Hogs had enjoyed their best-ever season as a Class 2A football team with an 8-2 regular season record.

PAGE 8A . . . SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 POTEAU DAILY NEWS