Dawson: Laird big influence

Billy Dawson credits Billy Laird as the man who helped resurrect Nashville's football program.

Laird died Thursday at 71 of complications from a stroke he suffered in May.

He led Nashville to its first state football championship in 1996, when the Scrappers finished 15-0 and won the Class AA state title. Laird, a Louisiana native, was 130-34-1 in 12 seasons (1992-2003) at the school and led the Scrappers to five state championship games.

"He was a great man," Dawson said. "The community loved him, and he loved the community. He was a great football guy. It's a loss to our football family and a loss to the Nashville community. He left his mark on Nashville, no question."

Jared McBride was Nashville's quarterback on the 1996 championship team and is his sixth season as the head coach at Hot Springs Lakeside. He said Laird was like a second father.

"He's really the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing," McBride said.

Dawson, who left Nashville during the offseason for the Russellville job, played at Nashville in 1982-1983. He became the first coach after Laird to win a state championship at Nashville, winning three consecutive in 2005-2007 during his first stint with the Scrappers.

"A lot of what we inherited goes back to Billy Laird," Dawson said.

McBride said the way Laird dealt with quarterbacks helped lead him to coaching.

"I coach my quarterbacks the way he coached me," McBride said. "He knew the game, and he cared about his players. He always checked on us and took interest in our lives. I learned a lot from him.

"The world is a better place because of Billy Laird, but it's sad that he's gone."

BENTON

QB Maertens out

Benton senior quarterback Cason Maertens will miss at least the first half of the football season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last month during a basketball practice.

Coach Scott Neathery said Maertens underwent surgery earlier this week in Little Rock and the expected recovery period is four to six months.

The injury happened one week before the Panthers began in spring practice.

Maertens passed for 3,375 yards and 34 touchdowns last season while leading Benton to a 6A-South Conference championship and to the Class 6A state championship game, where it lost to Pine Bluff.

"It's a blow to our football team," Neathery said. "Cason is our leader. He's everything."

Junior Nate Beck, 5-11, 155 pounds, will replace Maertens after serving as his backup last season.

"He has a very good arm," Neathery said. "He has a lot of velocity. He just needs reps. We'll get Nate as many looks as possible. By the time we get to fall camp, we'll have an idea of what he likes to do."

The Panthers open the season against rival Bryant on Sept. 4 in the Salt Bowl at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

ALMA

Dueling QBs

Coach Doug Loughridge may have a tough decision on his hands as he tries to find a starting quarterback.

Senior Alex Beneux and junior Noah Dotson are competing for the job after Evan Burris' graduation. Beneux and Dotson rotated series Thursday and Friday during the Arkansas 7-on-7 Classic at Little Rock Christian and Pulaski Robinson.

Both saw time at quarterback last season.

Dotson, a starting linebacker, helped Alma beat Russellville 20-16 last October when he led a 97-yard drive and scored on a 39-yard run.

Beneux, who also starts at linebacker, was Burris' backup last season. When Burris injured his ankle in a loss at Bryant, Beneux started games at Conway and against Russellville.

"We're going to plan for both of them this season because they're both valuable players," Loughridge said. "They're going to be big parts of this football team on both sides of the football."

Alma opens the season Sept. 1 against Fort Smith Southside at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

HALL OF FAME

Inductees announced

The three high school Hall of Fame organizations under the Arkansas Activities Association's umbrella have announced inductees for this year.

The six new Arkansas High School Coaches Association honorees are Lanny Dauksch of West Memphis (football), Willie Parker of Dermott (basketball), Jim Pennington of Emerson (basketball), Tommy Reed of Greenbrier (basketball), Linda Thomas of Eudora (basketball) and the late Dave Williams of Pocahontas (football).

The six new members of the Arkansas Officials Association are Danny Black of Little Rock (basketball), Bob Dunham of Bartlett, Tenn. (basketball), Jack Fulmer of Heber Springs (football), James Magie of Perryville (basketball), Danny Sheets of Mount Ida (basketball) and Shirl Williams of Marshall (basketball).

The three new members of the Arkansas High School Athletic Administrators Association are Ronnie Carter of Hot Springs, Jim Dickerson of Russellville and Harvey Smith of Hope.

The 2015 induction ceremony will be July 10 at Horner Hall at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Tickets are $35, and reservations for tables of eight are $280. The deadline is June 30, and ticket forms can be found on the AAA's website at ahsaa.org.

Sports on 06/14/2015