Alma Sports Notebook
Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Airedale Golf Classic means a lot for veteran assistant Potts
The 16th Annual Airedale Golf Classic is scheduled for Saturday.
Proceeds will benefit the Mikell McSpadden and Frank Vines scholarship funds. This is the longest-running scholarship fundraiser for the Alma Education and Arts Foundation.
The event is especially important for longtime Alma Assistant Coach Joseph Potts. He was McSpadden’s roommate at Arkansas Tech University when the latter passed away in January of 2008.
“He would take great pride in his name and coach Vines’ name being side by side,” Potts said. “I heard more stories about coach Vines from Mikell than I have from the Alma coaches I’ve worked with. It was like I knew him before I ever moved to Alma.”
Potts has mentored his fair share of Alma athletes over the years. He believes Mikell McSpadden, a former Alma offensive lineman and the son of Dr. Mike and Malinda McSpadden, would be the same man today he was when he and Mikell were college roommates.
“No doubt,” Potts said. “I know two things for sure about Mikell from our five years being best friends. So, No. 1, he loved people. I really do not believe he ever met a stranger and No. 2, he loved Alma. All he ever talked about was how great Alma was and how great Alma Airedale Athletics was. He really loved this place.”
Mikell McSpadden would, in death, help Potts become an Airedale.
“I was actually with him all day the day before he passed away,” Potts said. “We watched ATU play basketball and then went to coach Shipp’s house and watched the Orange Bowl. Needless to say, a huge part of me was missing (after his passing). But at the same time, I ended up in Alma living with Dr. McSpadden and Malinda and doing my student teaching here. So at the end of the day, a lot of amazing blessings came about due to one of the worst things that ever happened to me.”
Potts started running the tournament in 2012.
“I take a lot of pride in the golf tournament,” he said. “Around 2012 I asked coach (J.D.) Coursey (who was running the tournament at the time) how I could help, and he kind of just turned it over to me. It’s not the biggest tournament or anything like that, but every year you look up and see the same faces and hear the same stories about Mikell and Coach Vines. I always look forward to seeing who ends up with the scholarships each year.”
7-On-7
Alma’s annual Lumber One 7-on-7 tournament is set for Friday. Alma coach Rusty Bush can’t wait.
“The 7-on-7 Tournament was going on long before me and it’s turned into something really big,” Bush said. “We get the biggest schools out of Northwest Arkansas, and some great local talent here in the River Valley.”
Alma’s one-day tournament will feature 15 teams, including a handful of the best 6A-West schools - Bentonville, Har-Ber, Fayetteville, Fort Smith Northside, and Fort Smith Southside.
This year’s event will also include Conway Christian and Mena, Bush said.
“Conway Christian and Mena are coming in, and Green Forest is coming back,” Bush said. “It’s 15 teams with a lot of good talent. And we’ve got a lot of guys that continue to come back, like Fayetteville, Bentonville West, Bentonville, because they feel like we put on a good tournament and that our facilities are second to none.”
New Kid In Town
Eli Risley got a quick introduction to what it means to be an Alma Airedale this week.
The two-sport athlete (football and baseball) recently moved to Alma with his family from Pocahontas. He’s already played three American Legion baseball games for the Airedales and had his first summer football workout.
“I had team camp this morning, and I figured out what it means to be an Airedale,” Risley said. “You stand up for your guys no matter what. We all stood up for each other, and that’s important to me.”
A left-handed pitcher, Risley pitched effectively and had some key at-bats for the Airedales’ baseball team this week, too.
“It’s a great group of guys,” Risley said. “It’s our first few days here, and I didn’t even know what to expect. But then you walk in there and everybody’s having fun. You don’t see that very often. I think that’s very, very special.”
New volleyball assistant
Alma volleyball coach Kim Weaver is excited about having Josh Stark in her volleyball family.
Stark brings a wealth of knowledge to the program. “Wherever he goes, his teams always improve,” Weaver said. “He’s had immense success at the high school, college, and club levels.”
Stark has been heavily involved in the Fort Smith Juniors program.
Stark stepped up for Paris coach Jordan Devine a couple of years ago and led them to a state championship.
Weaver and the Lady Airedales are headed to Branson for a team camp before the two-week dead period. When they return, they’ll host a team camp.