Sugg accounts for 6 TDs as Heber Springs outlasts Mayflower

Heber Springs 62, Mayflower 40

October 16, 2026 | Hooten’s Arkansas Football

HEBER SPRINGS — Spencer Sugg threw 5 touchdown passes and ran for another as Heber Springs beat Mayflower 62-40 Friday night at Panther Stadium. The Panthers built a 35-14 halftime lead, then repeatedly answered Mayflower’s second-half touchdowns to finish senior night with 9 touchdowns.

Josiah Riggs and Noah Engholm each caught 2 touchdown passes. Eli Long caught Sugg’s fifth, while seniors Aiden Isom, Lachlan Tubbs and offensive lineman Brody Loethen scored on the ground. Heber Springs improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play; Mayflower fell to 3-4 and 1-3.

Isom finished the opening 59-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown. On Mayflower’s first possession, he forced quarterback Carter Smith out of bounds for a 2-yard loss, helping force a punt. Sugg then scrambled to the Eagles’ 8 and found Engholm over the middle for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

Mayflower answered with Chris Blackmon’s 5-yard touchdown run. Riggs caught a fourth-and-9 touchdown pass early in the second quarter, but Cade Cowdery’s rushing touchdown and Smith’s 2-point pass to Martrell Jergins brought the Eagles within 21-14.

Sugg changed that on third-and-13. He escaped contact in the pocket, moved toward the line of scrimmage and found Riggs open downfield for a 51-yard touchdown with 6:26 left in the half. Engholm later tipped a pass into the air and secured it for a 17-yard score, extending the margin to 35-14.

Blackmon needed one offensive play to score after halftime, breaking a 34-yard run. Mayflower then gained possession on a Heber Springs fumble through the end zone, giving the Eagles a chance to cut into a 35-21 deficit.

The Panthers’ defense stopped that opportunity. Oliver Berry broke up a third-down pass intended for Peyton Harris. After a low punt snap, Walker Robinson reached Brody Rippee first and helped stop him short of the first down. Heber Springs took over at the Mayflower 20, and Sugg eventually found Long for a 9-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.

Blackmon’s third rushing touchdown cut the margin to 42-28. Tubbs answered with a 1-yard score on the third quarter’s final play, but Cowdery scored again early in the fourth to make it 49-34 after a blocked extra point.

Sugg kept the ball on third-and-goal from the 8, fought through contact and reached the end zone with 7:03 left. Loethen supplied the Panthers’ final touchdown on a 3-yard carry from their jumbo package with 4:12 remaining. Golden Tate’s eighth successful extra point made it 62-34.

Rippee threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Harris with 3:48 left. Dylan Strickland stopped Rippee on the 2-point attempt, and Heber Springs ran out the remaining time.

Scoring summary

First quarter • 10:53 Heber Springs — Aiden Isom 1-yard run (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 7, Mayflower 0.

First quarter • 8:26 Heber Springs — Noah Engholm 8-yard pass from Spencer Sugg (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 14, Mayflower 0.

First quarter • 2:46 Mayflower — Chris Blackmon 5-yard run (kick blocked). Heber Springs 14, Mayflower 6.

Second quarter • 11:48 Heber Springs — Josiah Riggs pass from Spencer Sugg (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 21, Mayflower 6.

Second quarter • 8:02 Mayflower — Cade Cowdery run (Martrell Jergins pass from Carter Smith). Heber Springs 21, Mayflower 14.

Second quarter • 6:26 Heber Springs — Josiah Riggs 51-yard pass from Spencer Sugg (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 28, Mayflower 14.

Second quarter • 3:35 Heber Springs — Noah Engholm 17-yard pass from Spencer Sugg (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 35, Mayflower 14.

Third quarter • 11:46 Mayflower — Chris Blackmon 34-yard run (kick good). Heber Springs 35, Mayflower 21.

Third quarter • 5:39 Heber Springs — Eli Long 9-yard pass from Spencer Sugg (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 42, Mayflower 21.

Third quarter • 2:21 Mayflower — Chris Blackmon run (kick good). Heber Springs 42, Mayflower 28.

Third quarter • 0:00 Heber Springs — Lachlan Tubbs 1-yard run (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 49, Mayflower 28.

Fourth quarter • 11:24 Mayflower — Cade Cowdery 3-yard run (kick blocked). Heber Springs 49, Mayflower 34.

Fourth quarter • 7:03 Heber Springs — Spencer Sugg 8-yard run (conversion failed after mishandled snap). Heber Springs 55, Mayflower 34.

Fourth quarter • 4:12 Heber Springs — Brody Loethen 3-yard run (Golden Tate kick). Heber Springs 62, Mayflower 34.

Fourth quarter • 3:48 Mayflower — Peyton Harris 21-yard pass from Brody Rippee (pass failed). Heber Springs 62, Mayflower 40.

Players who stood out

Spencer Sugg, Heber Springs — 5 touchdown passes and an 8-yard rushing touchdown; his 51-yard scoring pass to Josiah Riggs came on third-and-13 after he escaped pressure.

Josiah Riggs, Heber Springs — 2 touchdown receptions, one on fourth-and-9 and another covering 51 yards on third-and-13.

Noah Engholm, Heber Springs — Touchdown catches of 8 and 17 yards; secured the second after tipping the ball into the air.

Chris Blackmon, Mayflower — 3 rushing touchdowns, including a 34-yard score on Mayflower’s first offensive play of the second half.

Cade Cowdery, Mayflower — 2 rushing touchdowns, including a 3-yarder early in the fourth quarter.

Aiden Isom, Heber Springs — 1-yard rushing touchdown to finish the opening drive and a 2-yard sack on Mayflower’s first possession.

Lachlan Tubbs, Heber Springs — 1-yard rushing touchdown on the third quarter’s final play and a blocked first-quarter extra point.

Oliver Berry and Walker Robinson, Heber Springs — Berry’s third-down pass breakup and Robinson’s stop after a low punt snap helped turn a third-quarter Mayflower possession into a short-field touchdown for the Panthers.

Brody Loethen, Heber Springs — Senior offensive lineman scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 4:12 remaining.

Eli Long, Heber Springs — 9-yard touchdown reception on third-and-goal.

Peyton Harris, Mayflower — 21-yard touchdown reception from Brody Rippee with 3:48 remaining.

Golden Tate, Heber Springs — 8 successful extra points.