Lady Airedales drops league opener in four

By Kevin Taylor

Alma Schools 

Alma volleyball coach Kim Weaver expects every conference match to be a battle.  

Tuesday, Alma dropped a tough 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-21, 25-21) loss to Farmington in the 5A-West opener for both teams. The Lady Airedales had their chances, especially in the first and final sets. 

“There are no off-nights; we have to bring it every day,” Weaver said. “I think because of that, and we’re constantly being challenged, we’re not going to be surprised by a tough outside (hitter) or a tough middle (blocker). We’re going to keep getting better. We’re going to fix some things we need to fix, but we’re going to keep getting better.”

Alma held a 21-20 lead in the first set before seeing Farmington string together five straight points. 

The Lady Airedales flipped the script in the second set and bolted in front 17-9 before coasting to a 10-point win. The exact opposite took place in the third game as the Lady Cardinals bolted in front of Alma, 15-6 and 17-9 before the Lady Airedales closed to within one (19-18). 

Lea Henson’s kill set up the Lady Airedales with a 20-17 lead in the fourth set, and Bailey Oliver’s serve hit the top of the net and nearly fell over for what would have been a huge point - only to see the ball fall backward and cut the Lady Cardinals’ deficit to two (20-18). 

Maggie Brogan led Alma (4-6, 0-1) with 13 kills. Breella Hughes and Emberly Kimes finished with seven and six kills, respectively. 

Defensively, Mabrey Birchfield and Ashton Carmack finished with 16 and 14 digs, respectively. Matilyn Dunn dished out 35 assists. 

Carmack, Oliver, and Dunn had two aces apiece. 

Alma travels to Shiloh Christian on Thursday and returns home next Tuesday to play Greenwood. 

Volleyball 

Cross Country 

Nevaeh Kangas paced the Lady Airedales’ cross country team to a third-place finish at the Fort Smith Invitational Cross Country meet. 

Kangas finished with a time of 20:35.88, nearly a second off of Chesnee Ellifrits’ school record set in 2019. 

Alma freshman Jasmine Martin finished 13th (23:30.39) and sophomore Tori Muszanski was 15th (23:48.78). 

Junior Aleeze Williams was 33rd (28:16.50), and teammate Sarah Grimmet was 40th (30:04.86). Lilly Fimple was 48th overall. 

The girls’ 2-mile run, eighth-grader Sophia Kimes was 38th (17:39.51), and seventh-grader Hinley Becker was 43r (18:35.01). 

Also for Alma, seventh-graders Emy Wright, Catalina Sandine, and Kinslee Peters competed in the event. 

In the boys’ 5000-meter finals, Lucas Wald paced the Airedales with a 32nd finish (20:00.05). Teammate Caleb Bowen was 37th (20:27.32), and freshman Trace Muszanski clocked in at 42nd (20:37.37). 

Airedale freshmen Isaac Wald (20:38.21), junior Ryan Matevia, and freshman Michael Haughton placed 42nd, 44th, and 56th, respectively. Freshmen Brayden Standley and Adams Wells also competed in the event. 

In the 1A-4A boys 2-Mile  finals, the Airedales’ Ayden Evans (eighth grader) and John Blake (seventh grader) finished 25th and 26th, respectively. Evans ran a 13:57.57, and Blake wasn’t far behind (14:01.26). 

Alma’s Gabrial Walters (7), Ethan Barber (8), Lane Standley (7), Carter Meredith, Ripley Adams (7), Stayton Padilla (7), and Isiah Smith (7) also competed in the event. 

Football 

Nate Risley threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Airedales’ eighth-grade football team to a 36-28 win over Siloam Springs. 

Trevor Hoover added 113 yards rushing, including a 56-yard touchdown run. David Atherton caught three passes for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Billy Burden caught two passes for 48 yards and a TD. 

Hoover helped clinch the victory with a 73-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at the 6:32 mark of the fourth quarter. 

Golf 

Carson Curd and Jack Taylor both shot 40 to earn medalist honors at Tuesday’s golf match with Northside at Ben Geren Golf Course. 

Piercen Howell and Miles Kendrick both shot 42 and 43, respectively, for the Airedales. Grady Farmer and Parker Morland shot 44, and Chase Wood finished with a 47. 

Earlier this week, sophomore Cade Moore was co-medalist with an 82 for Alma’s junior varsity golf squad. Bryson Goines shot an 86, and teammates Walker Goines and James Faries shot 94 and 104, respectively.