Rison Sports Hall of Fame To Induct First Class Feb. 1

RISON - The inaugural class of the Rison High School Sports Hall of Fame will be announced during a special induction ceremony and banquet to be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at the White Hall Community Center, 9801 Dollarway Road in White Hall.Advance tickets are $20 or $25 at the door. The meal is being catered by the Rison High School athletic department. Tickets are available at FBT Bank in Rison, through Cashapp at $risonbooster or checks can be mailed to Rison Booster Club, P.O. Box 675, Rison, AR 71665.Last October, Rison Booster Club President Dustin Prescott and Hall of Fame Coordinator Brian Phillips announced the launch of the Rison High School Sports Hall of Fame. Prescott said he came up with the idea af-ter seeing what other schools were doing to honor their athletes while he was working as a high school football coach.The Rison Sports Hall of Fame will recognize athletes, coaches, teams and contributors to Rison High School athletics. Each class of inductees can consist of six individuals, or four individuals and one team.Prescott said a list of 10 finalists will be announced each year, and members of the Rison Booster Club will vote to determine who will be inducted. He said no more than two athletes from the same sport and the same decade can be considered among the 10 finalists.The finalists considered for induction were selected by a nominating committee consisting of Willie Bea Williams-Brandon, a long-time preschool teacher in the Cleveland County School District who played basketball and ran track at Rison; Scotty Holderfield, former Rison School District superintendent and a member of Rison High School's 1970 state championship football team; John Phillips, a 1971 Rison graduate who was a member of the 1970 state championship team and has coached youth baseball and football in the area; and Stan Sadler, a 1974 Rison graduate who is the former publisher of the Cleveland County Herald and is considered by...