BHS Athletic Hall of Honor celebrates second group of inductees Saturday
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
The second class of inductees to the Bryant High School Athletic Hall of Honor includes perhaps the fastest female track performer in school history, one of the best girls basketball players the school ever produced, a record-setting softball player, a legendary coach and a pole vaulter that gained national attention while at BHS. In addition, pre-1975 inductees who captured the first State championships in any sport at Bryant High along with a high-scoring boys basketball player.
The six individuals and one team will be formally inducted at a ceremony and reception hosted by the Hall of Honor Board of Directors this Saturday, June 4, at 6:30 p.m., at the Bryant High School Multipurpose Room.
Post-1975 inductees include:
*Cheryl Hall Nelson who still holds the school records among women in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. As a senior, she was the State champion and Meet of Champs winner in the 400, setting a state overall record. She was also the champion in the 200 and helped the 4×400 relay team win a State championship. Subsequently, she signed and competed at the University of Arkansas. In addition, Nelson was a starter on the Lady Hornets 1981-82 State and Overall championship basketball team.
*Sally Moore-Stokes who signed and played at the University of Arkansas in women’s basketball after a stellar four-year career at Bryant. She was a four-year starter, arguably the best player on the team when the program was at the height of its glory. From 1989 through 1991, the Lady Hornets won three State championships including a stretch in which the team won 60 games in a row.
*Jessica Taylor who was the star catcher and slugger for the Bryant Lady Hornets softball team that won three straight Class 7A State championships (2010, 2011, 2012). She set a State record for most homeruns in a career with 41 and holds the State mark for most runs batted in for a season (51 in 2010) and a career (263). She subsequently signed to play at the University of Central Arkansas and has set school records there.
*Danny Westbrook who has coached track and cross country for 36 years including 35 at Bryant where he coached six State championship teams, five State runner-up teams, and 17 conference championship teams. He was the 1993 National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Association Boys Outstanding Cross Country Coach, 2003 Arkansas High School Coaches Association Outstanding Girls Cross Country Coach, and the 2004 Southwest Sectional Coach of the Year for Track and Cross Country by the National Federation of High School Coaches.
*Spencer McCorkel who, as a senior in 2007, cleared the top height in the nation among high school pole vaulters, setting the school record at 17’9”. Unable to compete at the State meet due to a hand injury, McCorkel went to the Nike Outdoor Nationals and won a National championship and was featured in the Sports Illustrated “Face In the Crowd” section. Names an all-American, McCorkel signed with the University of Arkansas and competed for the Razorbacks before transferring to Liberty Collegiate in Lynchburg, Va.
*Larry Crandall who once scored a school record 52 points in a game for the Hornets in 1951. It came during a game in the Saline County Tournament in Bauxite. An all-around athlete, Crandall transferred to Bryant from Fort Smith for his senior year and became perhaps the first BHS athlete to earn an athletic scholarship for basketball. At the Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA), he set a career record for scoring and is still ranked 12th in school history.
*The two-time State champion Bryant tennis team, which won titles in 1972 and 1973. The team was led by singles player Ronnie Holland and the doubles team of twins Larry and Garry Teeter. The team also included Doug Wilson, Kevin Hammond, Johnnie Bishop, Gary Achord, David Crain, Kevin Jones, Benny Britt and Mark Pelton. Bryant was a Class AA school at the time but the Hornets tennis team competed during the regular season against mostly AAAA and AAA level schools.
