Nine-year-old Deborah Shaw has nerves of steel. At least it seems that way to her mother, Stephanie.

The third grader at Collegeville Elementary School has been competing in USA Gymnastics since she was 7. Every year, she has won a State title.But this year was different,” Stephanie Shaw said.

“When Deborah competed at age 7, Level 5 only one other girl her age qualified at her level,” she related. “When she competed at age 8, Level 6, no other girls her age qualified at her level. Deborah won just by qualifying for the state meet. This year, she had competition.”

And she wound up placing first in beam, first in bars and first in the all-around with a third-place finish on the vault and the floor exercise.

“Deborah started this season two steps back,” noted her mother. “She tore her tendon in her knee, which is very rare for a child her age. She spent six weeks in rehab in order to compete by the first meet of the season.

“All through this meet season, Deborah has been competing against a group of the same girls,” she continued. “She has won against them sometimes and they have beaten her sometimes.”

The youngster, a straight A student, competed in the Arkansas USA Gymnastics State Meet on March 20 at the Stephens Center in Little Rock.

Add Sarah Hart, left, to the former Bryant athletes playing at the next level. A freshman at Lyon College, Hart is shown here with former Lady Hornets head coach Lisa Stanfield and former teammates Hailey King and Christen Kirchner of Central Baptist College when the two teams played each other on Monday, March 29.

By Rob Patrick

While we’ve had a lot about the bid by Bryant’s Travis Wood to make a Major League roster for the first time with the Cincinnati Reds, there are several other former Bryant athletes still competing on a high level. Following is information about as many as I could track down but, first, a little more about T.Wood.

With the MLB season beginning next week, Wood is still in contention for the fifth-starter spot in the Reds rotation and MLB.com beat reporter Mark Sheldon says in his latest blog, it looks like he has the inside track.

By Aaron Shuttleworth

Perseverance: noun; steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

That is the word to sum up Tuesday night’s 7A-Central Conference soccer game between the Bryant Lady Hornets and the Lady Panthers of Cabot. After 80 minutes of regular play and another 20 of overtime, then on top of that a shootout, the Lady Hornets became victorious, winning 2-1.

By Aaron Shuttleworth

It was a night for overtimes.

But unlike the Lady Hornets, the overtime did not go in favor for the home team Bryant Hornets on Tuesday night.

With 3:03 left in the first overtime, a Cabot Panther shot it past Bryant goal keeper Devon Norris to end the game.

With that one goal the Hornets left with a disappointing 0-1 defeat.

But there was no need for them to hang their heads. The Hornets played a tremendous game.

Norris only had three saves throughout the night. The reason for that was the push the defenders were making against the Panthers. Brandon Parish was flying all over the field; bright yellow cleats moving as fast as his legs would allow them. Tyler Salminen did a good job defensively along with Forrest Fowler and Kyle Nossamon.

By Rob Patrick

Sometimes, the turning point in a baseball game can come in the very first inning.

On Tuesday night, for example, when the Bryant Hornets hosted the Little Rock Catholic Rockets in a 7A-Central Conference game, Chris Joiner had opened the bottom of the first inning with a shot to the gap in left-center for a double. Garrett Bock worked a walk but Rockets pitcher Stuart Montez the retired Bryant’s best hitter Hunter Mayall with a pop to short.

That brought up Brennan Bullock. Now, if Montez could retire Bullock, he stood a decent chance to getting out the inning unscathed even with Bryant’s top RBI man, Jordan Taylor, up next. There would’ve been two out, the momentum would have shifted and Montez could be careful with Taylor with first base open.

But Bullock came through with a looping liner to right that evaded Catholic outfielder Zach Gibson. Not only did Joiner come home but that opened the gates on a five-run inning.

With the early lead, Bryant starter Caleb Milam did what coaches from Little League to the Majors tell their pitcher when they’re in such a situation (though, at every level, it’s somehow a struggle). He pounded the strike zone. Though the Rockets managed nine hits, because Milam didn’t walk anyone and the Hornets committed just one error, they managed just three runs absorbing an 8-3 setback.

Bryant Lady Hornets softball coach Debbie Stepp has been known to run a marathon every once in a while but, after Tuesday night, it may be some time before she does so again.

Late in her team’s 15-1 win over 7A-Central Conference rival Mount St. Mary Academy, Stepp, in the third-base coaching box, was hit by a line drive on the foot or ankle that left her limping in pain unable to continue. At best, she was severely bruised. At worst, she suffered some kind of break.

The game was all but over at the time. The Lady Hornets were finishing up a six-run fourth inning that capped the scoring.

Josh Pultro went 3 for 3 with two runs batted in and two scored and Ozzie Hurt drove in three while three pitchers combined on a three-hitter as the Bryant Hornets junior varsity thumped their counterparts from Little Rock Catholic, 11-3 in five innings Tuesday night.

The Hornets scored four runs in the bottom of the first, four more in the third and three in the fourth, taking advantage of 10 walks and a hit batsman with nine hits.

BEEBE — The Bryant Blue Hornets seventh grade track team from Bethel Middle School won a meet at Beebe on Monday with 109 points.

Houston Clifton won the 1600 meters and the 800 meters while Brenden Young turned in a first-place finish in the 110 hurdles to lead the way.

Clifton ran a 5:29 to win the 1600. In the 800, he finished in 2:25. Young’s winning time in the hurdles was 15.88.