Isaac Ragland needed to be pushed in order to take his game to the next level, and Valley Springs provided the kick he needed after transferring from another school.
Ragland moved from Marshall to basketball-crazed Valley Springs before his junior season. Two seasons and a 69-9 record proved that the move was an overwhelming success for both Ragland and Tigers' coach Blake Hanney.
"He challenged me every day," Ragland said of Hanney. "If I made 10 shots in a row and missed the next one, he would let me know about it. That's what I really needed to help me at the next level."
With Ragland providing the scoring leadership, Valley Springs went 36-4 and advanced to the second round of the Class 3A state tournament.Valley Springs won 3A-1 East Conference and 3A Region 1 titles as Ragland averaged 19.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game earning the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Division II Boys Player of the Year honors.
Ragland has verbally committed to the University of the Ozarks and was scheduled to sign in April before the covid-19 outbreak.
Ragland said playing his final two years at Valley Springs will be something he will carry with him.
"It was hard but it was fun, too," he said. "I enjoyed playing here and I will always remember the good games and my teammates."
Lavaca coach Renner Reed is the All-NWADG Division II Boys Coach of the Year after leading the Golden Arrows to a 34-5 mark and the Class 2A semifinals before losing to England. England went on to win the state title before the state tournament was canceled after one day because of the covid-19 outbreak.
Reed, who played at Winslow and graduated from Arkansas Tech, just completed his seventh season at Lavaca. The last four seasons have seen the Gold Arrows win 22 or more games four straight years, but Reed's first three seasons were a struggle as he worked to build the program.
"Back then, our kids worked so hard and they believed they could win and get better," Reed said of his early seasons. "These guys now they watched them and even though we didn't win a ton of games, we could see the improvement. It's all about getting over the hump and the last 3-4 years it's started to take off."
Lavaca returned four starters from last year's 22-6 team. The Golden Arrows also played with somewhat of a chip on their shoulder after getting upset the year before in the first round of the regional tournament, Reed said.
"We went into the offseason with some adversity," Reed said. "All the guys committed to working hard, so it was a good combination of work ethic and desire that led us this season."
Drake Grantham was the missing piece the Golden Arrows needed, and the 6-foot-2 sophomore provided a spark off the bench this season, averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds per game. Grantham led the team in charges taken and was the top scorer for the Arrows in regional tournament play, earning All-NWADG Newcomer of the Year honors in Division II.
Fitting into a senior-heavy team can be a challenge, but Grantham said the older players took him in.
"It was hard at first because those guys had been playing for three or four years together," Grantham said. "As the year went on, they saw that I just wanted to win as bad as they did."
Grantham will be the face of the program for the next two seasons, Reed said.
"We knew Drake was going to be good even at an early age," Reed said. "We knew that we were going to have to find ways to get him on the court this year. He does a lot of the things you talk about. He rebounds well, he's a great defender."
DII Boys Basketball
Player of the Year
Isaac Ragland;Valley Springs;Sr.;6-4
Averaged 19.1 points and 6.7 rebounds for 36-4 team that advanced to 3A semifinals.
Newcomer of the Year
Drake Grantham;Lavaca;So.;6-2
Averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds per game for team that advanced to 2A semifinals.
Coach of the Year
Renner Reed;Lavaca
Led Golden Arrows to a 34-5 record. Lost in 2A semis to state champion England.
FIRST TEAM
Chase Ammons;The New School;Sr.;6-0
Averaged 16.4 points per game for 36-2 team. Had 169 assists and 135 steals.
Paxton Barnett;Elkins;Sr.;6-4
Averaged 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for 29-5 Class 3A.
Payton Brown;Waldron;Sr.;6-1
Averaged 30 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for 3A-1 West Conference tri-champs.
Noah Peterson;Pea Ridge;Sr.;5-11
Averaged 16.5 points and 5.0 assists per game for 4A-1 Conference champs.
Seth Rosenfield;Shiloh Christian;Sr.;6-4
Averaged 23.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for 4A-1 East Conference champs.
SECOND TEAM
Ethan Darrough;Ozark;Sr.;6-0
Point guard and team leader for 23-9 4A-4 champs. Averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Matt Melton;Lavaca;Sr.;6-2
Averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game for 2A semifinalist team.
Brayden Ross;Charleston;Sr.;6-4
Averaged 23.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for 3A-1 West Conference tri-champions.
Elijah Royce;Bergman;Jr;6-4
Averaged 16.4 points, 11 rebounds for 32-9 team. Recorded 22 double-doubles and 1 triple-double.
Briley Saunier;Valley Springs;Sr.;5-10
Averaged 12.1 points, 3.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game for 36-4 3A semifinalists.
Class 4A
Sam Smith Arkadelphia
Max Chenault Bauxite
Tedrick Washington Blytheville
Garrett Waddill Clarksville
Jake Sanders eStem
Logan Landwehr Farmington
Derrian Ford Magnolia
Colby Garland Magnolia
Dakovon Blackmon Malvern
Caleb Allen Mills
Jakari Livingston Mills
Joseph Pinion Morrilton
Devonte Witherspoon Nashville
Ethan Darrough Ozark
Noah Peterson Pea Ridge
Wes Wales Pea Ridge
Kade Mainhart Pottsville
EJ Anderson Pulaski Academy
Seth Rosenfeld Shiloh Christian
Marvion Scott Star City
CJ Delancy Valley View
Travis Graf Valley View
Riley Felkins Jonesboro Westside
Class 3A
Lamar Wilkerson Ashdown
Mike Dunegan Atkins
Eli Roberson Atkins
Stetson Smithson Bald Knob
Hudson Likens Baptist Prep
Elijah Royce Bergman
Collier Robertson Bismarck
Trenton Bell Cave City
Brock Hendrix Central Ark. Christian
Brayden Ross Charleston
Kragen Bradley Clinton
Travaras Shead Drew Central
Chris Harris Dumas
Paxton Barnett Elkins
Kain Johnson Elkins
Che Smith Episcopal Collegiate
Colton McMullin Fountain Lake
Andrew Overton Fountain Lake
Jordan Lewis Gosnell
Connor McGaha Harding Academy
Malachi Azmour Lake Village
Daley Belew Manila
Matt Gregg Marshall
Braxtyn McCuien Mayflower
Cory Hill Prescott
Jacåobi Nolen Prescott
Shamer Jones Rivercrest
Ben Turner Trumann
Ben Keton Tuckerman
Isaac Ragland Valley Springs
Payton Brown Waldron
Class 2A
Damian Bohlman Acorn
Jesse Kinard Buffalo Island Central
Brandon Bonner Clarendon
Ryan Brown Cutter Morning Star
Aaron Stokes Dierks
Kevante Davis England
Tamarous Dodson England
Matthew Lester Eureka Springs
Lance May Flippin
Jahaad Junior Hampton
Caleb Profit Hector
Isaac Stanek Hector
Matt Melton Lavaca
Kelvin Bowers Marianna
Terran Williams Marianna
Layton Hennings Melbourne
Tramillion Henderson Murfreesboro
Luke Roland Pangburn
Terrell Malone Parkers Chapel
Zach Shue Quitman
Max Ford Rector
Ethan Jones White County Central
Cole Reynolds Woodlawn
David Derosier Yellville-Summit
Class 1A
AJ Taylor Bradley
Jacob Grady Bradford
Lamont Swanigan Brinkley
Connor Kincannon Caddo Hills
Braxton Cousins Concord
Mitchell Keezer County Line
Avery Young Deer
Zamar Ford Dermott
Jashon Smith Future School-FS
Colton Rose Hillcrest
Justus Cooper Izard County
Coby Everett Izard County
Caleb Faulkner Izard County
Caleb Carter Jasper
Cameron Gaither Kirby
Brody Tucker Kirby
Alex Mero Mammoth Spring
DeAndra Arnold Marvell
Wesley Booker Mount Våernon-Enola
Keyonte Coleman Nevada
Chase Ammons The New School
Garrett Finnicum Ridgefield Christian
Cesar Rodriguez Scranton
Travis Gentry Greers Ferry WS
Sports on 03/26/2020