Mark Uhiren’s return to his alma mater as head football coach headlined the 2015-16 athletic year at Carlisle.
Uhiren, 57, played for the Bison in 1976 and ‘77 before heading to the University of Central Arkansas. He coached for 32 years (12 years as an assistant at Wynne under Don Campbell, three years as head coach at Hoxie, one year as an assistant and four as head coach at Lonoke and 12 as head coach at Marion).
He returned to Lonoke County this spring from Marion Junior High, where he had been dean of students since stepping down from the Patriots’ head coaching position.
“It’s been just a little short while out of coaching, but it’s something I’ve been looking for, and especially back at the home place,” Uhiren said the morning after his hire. “I’ve been waiting to get back into the right spot. I’m hoping and praying this is the right spot.”
Brad Horn, Carlisle’s high school principal and athletic director, said Uhiren’s experience and focus on discipline earned him the nod.
Uhiren took over a Marion team that had gone 1-9 the previous year and built it to a 9-3 program, which included a victory over Wynne, by 2005. In 2006, the Patriots shared the conference title with West Memphis, Jacksonville and Mountain Home and reached the semifinals of the Class 6A state playoffs.
Uhiren replaced Jack Keith, who resigned early in the spring following the forfeiture of all four 2015 Bison football wins in the wake of an eligibility issue. Keith accepted a position at Lonoke as a math teach and assistant coach.
A chronological look at the year for the Bison and Lady Bison:
GOLF — Carlisle’s Gray Amaden shot 105 at the Class 2A Boys State Tournament at Holiday Island near Eureka Springs. He had fired 86 in the 2A District Tournament on the same course the previous week to qualify for state as an individual.
FOOTBALL — On the field, Keith’s final Bison squad finished 4-7, including a 4-4 run through the 2A-6, after a 46-8 loss at Hackett in the opening round of the Class 2A State Playoffs. The Bison were the conference’s fifth seed. But all four wins were forfeited in January after a player was ruled academically ineligible for the fall semester.
GIRLS BASKETBALL —Jonathan Buffalo’s Lady Bison came agonizingly close to returning to the Class 2A State Tournament, falling to Magnet Cove in the opening round of the Class 2A East Regional at Hazen, 46-45.
The Lady Bison, who finished 20-9, marked their fourth consecutive season to win at least a share of the conference title and won their first district championship since 2012. As the top seed from the 2A-6, they fell to the fourth seed from the 2A-5, one win shy of reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2013.
It was the second straight year for Magnet Cove to send Carlisle home with a first-round regional loss.
Carlisle was trying to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2013.
“That’s only my second team to win 20 games, and we had single-digit losses, which is good,” Buffalo said. “We were co-champions in the regular season (with Clarendon), but in the district tournament, we did a good job of showing who was the best team in the conference.
“We were a much improved team from last year, but now we’ve got to look forward to getting started in a couple of days to try to take that next step.”
BOYS BASKETBALL — Jayson Lowery’s first Bison squad showed good improvement on the floor, although the official record didn’t show it.
Jayson Lowery’s first Bison squad closed 2-25 officially. Carlisle was 2-16 in the 2A-6 conference and was seeded seventh for the district tournament.
In January, the Bison had to forfeit four wins from the first semester because of an eligibility issue. The six on-court wins were the most for a Carlisle boys squad since 2013 — three coaches since William Rountree in ‘13.
The Bison fell to Palestine-Wheatley in the opening round of the district tournament.
Carlisle won just three basketball games in 2014-15. Lowery said the forfeits of the four this season were a “very bad” kick in the gut.
Lowery remained completely positive throughout the ups and downs.
“We’re excited,” he said as the Bison headed into the district tournament. “We know it’s still uphill for us, but I’m not just excited about this year. These kids have shown me that the future looks good.”
TRACK — Freshman Braiden Jenkins promptly moved up to the varsity squad after winning the 800 and 1,600 runs in the 2A-6 junior high district meet, and he didn’t miss a beat with the increased competition, winning the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in the senior high meet that evening to qualify for the Class 2A State Meet in all three.
At the state meet at England, Jenkins took third in the 1,600 in 5:09.27; seventh in the 3,200 (11:55.44); and eighth in the 800 (2:19.69). His efforts gave the Bison nine points and a 23rd-place team finish.
SOFTBALL — With no seniors on the roster, Lonnie Roberson’s Lady Bison finished 6-16 overall and 4-8 in the 2A-6 conference with no seniors on the roster.
BASEBALL — Shawn Woods’ first Bison baseball squad finished 8-15 overall after beating Clarendon in the opening round of the 2A-6 District Tournament, 17-7, before falling to Hazen, 11-1. The Bison were 2-10 through the conference schedule, but it didn’t take long for Woods to start making plans for an improved record in 2017.
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